Although the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command said it has arrested 15 suspects in connection with the vandalism of a warehouse belonging to the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCTA) in Abuja, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Prof. Joy Ezeilo has called for more empathy towards the plight of starving Nigerians.
Following Sunday’s invasion of a warehouse in the FCT, by hungry Abuja residents, the Professor of Law and ex-UN Special Rapporteur on Human Trafficking in a tweet stated that: “The severe hunger and extreme poverty faced by many poor and vulnerable Nigerians can push them towards criminal activities…”
“It is disheartening to read about the looting of the Abuja warehouse belonging to FCT. The severe hunger and extreme poverty faced by many poor and vulnerable Nigerians can push them towards criminal activities. We should all be aware of this situation. I remember a case from 1994 where I defended a 17-year-old orphan girl on appeal. She had been sentenced to three years in prison for stealing cassava from a farm.
“She was hungry and desperate, yet the magistrate still applied the law. However, I pleaded as a Pro bono defence lawyer, then representing the Society for the Welfare of Women Prisoners (SWEWP), for her to be acquitted based on her age, being a first-time offender and the circumstances that led her to commit the crime. The lesson for Nigerians in these challenging and desperate times is that stealing is a crime, and if caught, you will be held accountable according to our Penal Laws.
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“Unfortunately, the poor have limited choices and often must choose between a rock and a hard place. Notwithstanding, stealing and converting goods and food shouldn’t be an option. Now is the time for the government, at all levels, to work in partnership with non-profit organizations and the private sector to consider implementing food banks, food stamps, and other social security and safety net options to provide food for the poor and most vulnerable Nigerians. This is especially important for children, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and the elderly.”
The Police Public Relations Officer in the FCT, SP Josephine Adeh, had in a statement on Sunday disclosed that two security guards employed by the warehouse management were among the suspects, arrested for the vandalism of the warehouse in Tasha area of Abuja.
According to Adeh, 26 bags of maize, five Motorcycles and some vandalised aluminum roofing sheets were recovered from the suspects.
“The Police Command in the FCT is fully informed about the impulsive attack on Agric Department Strategic food store located at Tasha area of Abuja, on March 3.
“The attack has resulted in the vandalism and looting of the warehouse.
“The command wishes to state that normalcy has since been restored to the area and the situation, under control,” she said.
The Agricultural and Rural Development (ARD) Secretariat of the FCTA had, earlier, confirmed the looting of its warehouse on Sunday, by some hoodlums
PUNCH also reports that he police have beefed up security at the warehouses belonging to the National Emergency Management Agency nationwide following the looting of food warehouses in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, on Sunday, by suspected hoodlums.
This according to PUNCH Correspondent was as soldiers foiled an attempt to raid a factory warehouse at the Idu Industrial District, Jabi, Abuja, on Sunday morning, arresting five of the attackers.
The factory was involved in the production, processing, and packaging of various agro-commodities including grains, rice, pulses, and edible oil.
Several incidents of attacks and looting of warehouses and food trucks have been reported in many cities against the backdrop of the hardship and the cost of living crisis in the country,
Last week, some youths stole food items from trucks stuck in traffic along Kaduna Road in the Suleja area of Niger State.
The attackers reportedly overwhelmed the truck drivers and looted scores of bags of rice before they were dispersed by soldiers.
The Abuja incident occurred around 9.30am on Sunday shortly after some hoodlums attacked a warehouse belonging to the Agricultural and Rural Development Secretariat of the FCT Administration located in the Dei-Dei area of the capital city.
They reportedly came in large numbers of about 200 to 300 people with motorbikes and tricycles, carrying sticks and long knives.
The spokesperson for the ARD Secretariat, Zakari Aliyu, said the FCT Mandate Secretary, Agric Secretariat, Lawan Geidam, visited the warehouse, which was vandalised, pointing out that the looters also stole roof and windows.
He added that the FCT Minister of State, Dr Mariya Mahmoud and Geidam, would again visit the facility on Monday (today) where more detailed information would be given regarding the incident.
Aliyu stated, “We visited the scene of the incident this morning. We visited with the secretary and some other officials of the secretariat. So, by tomorrow (today), the secretary, I think with the Minister of State, will pay another visit to that place.
“I am sure that a lot of information that will be useful to you, you will get it. If you can just be patient, tomorrow you will get all the information you need. If you go there, there is nothing there. Do you know that they removed the roof, and the windows, apart from the food items?’’
Speaking on the incident in a statement on Sunday, the NEMA spokesman, Manzo Ezekiel, however stated that the looted warehouse did not belong to NEMA.
The statement explained that the NEMA Director-General, Mustapha Ahmed, had ordered that there should be improved security at its zonal offices and warehouses nationwide, “to forestall any security breach at NEMA facilities.”
The statement read, “The attention of the National Emergency Management Agency has been drawn to media reports on Sunday alleging that the agency’s warehouse was looted by some hoodlums in Abuja.
“This is to clarify that the looted warehouse does not belong to NEMA. However, the agency sympathises with the owners of the looted facility.
“To forestall any security breach at NEMA facilities, the Director-General, Mustapha Ahmed, has directed zonal directors and heads of operations to strengthen security in and around the agency’s offices and warehouses nationwide.”
On account of these attacks on the Abuja warehouses, the police commands in Bayelsa, Kaduna, Delta, Osun, Sokoto, Gombe, and other states have deployed personnel to protect warehouses, food stores, silos and other infrastructure.
