Osogbo food scheme prompts police deployment after operators disappear

Police were deployed to an office of the Global Food Initiative in Osogbo, Osun State, on Monday after residents who had paid in advance for discounted food items found the operators absent. The residents gathered at the organisation’s office in Odi-Olowo, expecting to collect goods after the stated one-week maturity period. Tension rose as more people arrived and the operators did not open for business.

One resident, identified as Mistura, said she paid N300,000 for 11 bags of rice at N27,000 per bag. She said the same quantity would cost about N605,000 at the prevailing market price of N55,000 per bag. Another investor, Olamide, said she deposited N1.2m for food items intended for her stepdaughter’s wedding.

She said the payment was made into an account bearing the name Global Food Initiative and that she had earlier collected two five-litre gallons of groundnut oil after paying N30,000 for each. An investor who requested anonymity said the scheme had begun operating more than three weeks earlier and had told participants it would run for six months. The investor said a warning by a private radio presenter caused panic and prompted a large crowd to visit the office.

According to the account, the operators arrived but left after seeing the agitated crowd. The investor said some people claimed to have deposited N35m and N10m, while hoodlums allegedly attempted to enter the organisation’s storeroom. Osun police spokesperson Abiodun Ojelabi said officers were sent to prevent a breakdown of law and order.

He said no affected person had formally reported the matter, but officers were monitoring the situation and seeking detailed information about the company’s activities.