Residents Invade Bayelsa Warehouse, Loot Foodstuffs Reportedly Donated During 2022 Flood Disaster

One private warehouse in the Kpansia area of Yenagoa used by the Bayelsa State government to store foodstuffs and other materials was on Sunday invaded by some residents of the capital city who carted away food items and other items.

As seen in a video that went viral, some items which included bags of rice and garri as well as cartons of noodles and bottled water, and they were said to be part of the relief materials donated by some concerned Nigerians during the 2022 flood disaster in the state.

It was learnt that the incident occurred at about 7:30 pm, even as some of the residents stormed the warehouse located along the Isaac Boro Expressway with pick-up vans and private vehicles to move the foodstuffs away, most of which had already gone bad.

In a statement, issued out by the Bayelsa State Emergency Management Agency (BYSEMA) condemned the incident, describing it as an “unwarranted invasion”.

As part of preparations for an impending flood this year, the DG visited the premises, and in his presence, remnants of food items, notably rice and garri that were no longer fit for consumption, were cleared from the warehouse and placed outside for disposal the next day.

“The remnants, which were swept from the floor and packed in disused bags, were less than 10 bags of rice and garri and with some broken cans of oil.”

The agency said the looted items were not fresh food palliatives and were not hoarded by the state government.

The agency declared the items as “unfit for human consumption and a responsible, caring government like ours will not give Bayelsans such items as palliatives”. [CONTINUE READING HERE]>>>>