The Agricultural and Rural Development Secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Administration has confirmed the looting by residents of food and household items from its warehouse in Dei-Dei area of Abuja on Sunday.
It was a repeat of the #EndSARS looting of October 2020, when Nigerians invaded government warehouses laden with hoarded COVID-19 palliatives.
Invaders removed building fittings as well, according to the agency.
However, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has denied ownership of the looted as initially reported.
Its Media Unit said in a Sunday statement:
“The attention of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) 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 sympathizes with owners of the looted facility.
“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.”
The Agricultural and Rural Development Secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Administration has confirmed the looting of its warehouse in Dei-Dei on Sunday, by residents.
Spokesperson for the ARD Secretariat, Zakari Aliyu, said the Secretary had earlier visited the warehouse, where hundreds of people looted everything in the store and vandalised the place, removing the roofs and windows.
He added that the FCT Minister of State, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, and the FCT Mandate Secretary, Agric Secretariat, Lawan Geidam, will again visit the facility today Monday to further assess the situatio.
Aliyu said: “We visited the scene of the incident this morning. We visited with the Secretary and some other officials of the Secretariat. So, by tomorrow, 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. If you know that place, do you know that they removed the roof, and the windows inclusive, apart from the food items?”
