Anxiety as Edo residents loot truckload of rice

FILE: Rice thieves

Anxiety was in the air when residents of Urora in Benin, Edo State, on Thursday, looted a truckload of rice parked in the vicinity on the opening day of the protest against bad governance and hunger, which took place across the nation.

In a 40-second viral video, watched by our correspondent, residents were seen running to a section of a street in Urora and emerged with mini bags of rice.

The person who shot the video was heard shouting, “This is our rice that (the) government gave us, this is where they hid it. We have located it. This is Urora. Look at rice everywhere, come and collect your rice. Look at the rice that (the) Edo State Government gave us, this where they hid it.”

In another video, a resident said the truck was packed behind Bethel Faith Secondary School, Urora, describing the Edo State Government’s action as wicked.

However, the All Progressives Congress stated it was not surprised by this discovery as the Godwin Obaseki government in the state had succeeded in converting everything received from the Federal Government on behalf of the Edo people to donations made by his administration.

The state chairman of the APC, Jarrett Tenebe, who stated this in an interview with PUNCH Metro, said it was clear that the Edo State Government did not care about the people of the state.

He said, “Last month, the Federal Government confirmed that the 36 states, including Edo, had received 20 trucks of rice, yet Obaseki has failed to account for them.

“In his usual deceptive style of governance, Obaseki has converted everything he received from the APC Federal Government on behalf of the Edo people, to donations made by his administration.

“He has achieved this by repackaging the rice and other grains in branded mini bags with Edo State insignia. He has announced also that his PDP government spends N1bn each month for the purchase of rice.

“If the Edo people were ever in doubt, the video that emerged on social media today, where an abandoned truckload of repackaged Federal Government rice with the Edo State Government inscription was discovered by Urora residents, has exposed Obaseki’s deliberate plan to deprive the people of accessing the different palliative measures.

However, the Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, said the state government did not have a warehouse in Urora and only distributed relief materials through a religious body.

He said, “The Edo State Government has received information about the looting of bags of rice from an unidentified truck and private residences in parts of Benin City in the wake of the #EndBadGovernance protests.

“The videos making the rounds are said to have emanated from the Urora area of Ikpoba Hill, Benin City, and the government does not have a warehouse in that location.

“The government supports the vulnerable with relief materials through religious organisations particularly the Christian Association of Nigeria, the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria and the Edo State Muslims Pilgrim Welfare Board.

“The state government does not keep any relief material by itself but reaches out to the people through these channels.

“We will not put this tactic past the All Progressives Congress, which is spreading malicious content to score cheap political points. This condemnable action is intended to cause chaos in the state and the APC is discouraged from such ignoble practice.”