Osun food scheme leaves residents stranded after operators disappear

Residents in Osogbo, Osun State, have been left stranded after operators of a food scheme reportedly disappeared from their office following payments made for discounted food items. Several customers gathered at the Global Food Initiative office in the Odi-Olowo area on Monday, waiting to collect goods they had paid for in advance. The scheme reportedly offered food below prevailing market prices, with collection generally scheduled for one week after payment.

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 have cost about N605,000 at the prevailing market price of N55,000 per bag. Another customer, Olamide, said she paid N1.2m for food items intended for her stepdaughter’s wedding.

She said she had previously collected two five-litre containers of groundnut oil from the operators, but became concerned after finding the office closed and crowded with other customers. An investor who spoke anonymously said the scheme had begun about three weeks earlier and was presented as a six-month operation. She claimed that some customers had paid substantially larger amounts, including N35m and N10m, although those figures were not independently verified in the report.

The investor said a warning by a private radio presenter on Sunday caused panic among customers. She alleged that the operators came to the office on Monday but left after seeing the crowd. Police were deployed after some people reportedly attempted to enter the organisation’s storeroom.

Osun State Police Public Relations Officer Abiodun Ojelabi said officers were at the scene to prevent a breakdown of law and order. He said no affected person had formally reported the matter, adding that police were monitoring the situation and awaiting detailed information about the company’s activities.