Residents of Yenagoa, the capital city of Bayelsa State, invaded a private warehouse located in the Kpansia area of the city and looted food items and other materials stored there. The warehouse was reportedly being used by the Bayelsa State government to store relief materials, including bags of rice, garri, cartons of noodles, and bottled water, which were donated by concerned Nigerians during the 2022 flood disaster in the state.
The looting took place at around 7:30 pm, with residents using pick-up vans and private vehicles to move the foodstuffs away. The incident was met with intervention from the state government’s security outfit, called Doo Akpo, which dispersed the residents and secured the building.
The state government expressed surprise and concern over the invasion, stating that the food items were no longer fit for human consumption and were being gathered for disposal. The State Emergency Management Agency clarified that the items were remnants from the 2022 flood response and had been cleared from the warehouse for proper disposal. The agency emphasized that the items were not fresh food palliatives and were unfit for consumption.
The Bayelsa State government condemned the invasion and expressed readiness to handle the distribution of authentic palliatives provided by the Federal Government to alleviate the effects of its fuel subsidy removal policy and the anticipated flooding in the region. The government also criticized attempts to politicize the incident by opposition elements seeking to gain political advantage from the situation.