Abuja Residents Loot Warehouses, Cart Away Foodstuffs, Roofing Sheets
- As NEMA beefs up security at facilities nationwide
BY OUR CORRESPONDENT – A warehouse located at Gwagwa, a satellite town of Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was on Sunday looted by some residents with food items and other materials carted away by the invaders.
Reports indicated that the looted facility belongs to the Agricultural and Rural Development Secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).
Similarly, two private storage facilities at neighbouring Karmo, also within the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) also came under attack with foodstuffs, roofing sheets and many other items looted.
Eyewitness accounts said the invaders, who were mostly youths, broke into the FCTA’s warehouse located around Tasha area of the Gwagwa community at about 7am and made away with bags of grains and other materials readily available at the facility.
According to the reports collaborated by some residents off the community, the looting lasted for over two hours with no intervention or emergency response from the security agencies in the nation’s capital.
It was reliably gathered that with news of the looting spreading fast, some residents from neighbouring Jiwa and Karmo suburbs also rushed to the invaded warehouse to have cart away food items as much as they could.
Forefront News learnt the ugly situation resulted in vehicular traffic gridlock along the Gwagwa-Karmo road which links to the popular Jabi and Dei-Dei communities in the nation’s capital.
Also giving an on-the-spot account of the incident, a resident of the area, who simply gave his name as Danjuma disclosed that items looted by the invaders include food items, especially grains in bags, roofing sheets, doors, and steel fence sheets among others.
Some persons in the area said the grains looted might not be safe for human consumption as they appeared rotten.
Available information shows that the same warehouse was also one of those attacked and looted during the COVID-19 lockdown, where several bags of grains in their thousands and other relief materials kept for emergency intervention were carted away and some destroyed by hoodlums in the process.
For the other two private storage facility affected in the community, it was gathered that their owners reside at Sabuwar-Unguwa and Rogo areas.
Meanwhile, the FCT Police Command Spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, who confirmed the unfortunate incident, said their officers were able to bring the situation under control.
She urged members of the public to shun criminal actions capable of causing a breakdown of law and order within the nation’s capital, warning that the Command would not hesitate to ensure apply the law to rein in criminal elements.
NEMA On Red Alert, Secures Facilities Nationwide
Amid palpable fear of possible attacks on its facilities by hoodlums, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) yesterday said measures have been taken to beef up security in and around its offices and warehouses across the country.
The Agency said contrary to reports in the media space, its warehouse was not looted in Abuja.
A statement by NEMA’s spokesman, Manzo Ezekiel, while sympathising with owners of the looted facilities, said; “To forestall any security breach at NEMA facilities, the Director-General, Mustapha Habib Ahmed has directed zonal directors and heads of operations to strengthen security in and around the agency’s offices and warehouses nationwide”.
