Residents loot Osogbo warehouse after cheap-food scheme collapses

Residents looted a warehouse belonging to the Global Food Initiative in Odi-Olowo, Osogbo, Osun State, on Tuesday after operators of a discounted-food scheme allegedly disappeared, leaving customers who had paid for supplies stranded. The incident followed a gathering at the organisation’s office on Monday. Residents had gone there expecting to collect food items bought at prices below prevailing market rates, but the operators were not available.

One resident, Mistura, told PUNCH that she had paid N300,000 for 11 bags of rice. She said the bags were scheduled for collection a week after payment and that the purchase represented a substantial saving compared with prevailing market prices. Another customer, identified as Olamide, said she paid N1.2m for food items intended for her stepdaughter’s wedding.

She said she arrived at the office and found a crowd waiting for the operators, who had not returned. Residents returned to the premises on Tuesday. The owner of the building reportedly appealed to them to remain calm while security agents identified the operators and considered ways to recover the money paid by customers.

The crowd refused to leave. At about 4pm, some people forced open the warehouse and removed bags of rice, noodles and groundnut oil. PUNCH reported that the looting continued despite heavy rain.

A small number of police officers attempted to control the crowd and fired canisters to disperse people, but the operation was still under way when the report was filed.