Tension erupted in Osogbo, Osun State, on Tuesday after angry residents broke into a warehouse operated by the Global Food Initiative and allegedly carted away food items following the reported disappearance of the scheme’s operators.
The incident occurred at the organisation’s office in the Odi-Olowo area of Osogbo, where residents had gathered after paying substantial amounts for food commodities reportedly sold at prices far below prevailing market rates.
The development came a day after unrest was recorded at the same location, as customers who had made payments waited for the operators to open the facility but were left stranded.
One of the affected customers, identified as Mistura, said she paid N300,000 last Wednesday for 11 bags of rice at N27,000 per bag.
She said customers were expected to receive their orders a week after payment, adding that the same quantity of rice would have cost about N605,000 at the prevailing market price of N55,000 per bag.
Another customer, Olamide, said she paid N1.2 million for various food items she intended to use for her stepdaughter’s upcoming wedding.
“I got here this morning and met a crowd waiting to be attended to, but the operators were nowhere to be found. I was warned, but I never thought they would run away this early. The items I paid for were to be used for my stepdaughter’s wedding ceremony,” she said.
The situation worsened on Tuesday as more customers returned to the premises, hoping the operators would reopen or explain their absence.
The owner of the building reportedly appealed to the aggrieved customers to remain calm while security personnel investigated the matter and worked to identify the operators and explore possible ways of recovering the money paid by customers.
However, the appeal failed to calm the crowd.
At about 4pm, some members of the crowd reportedly forced their way into the warehouse and began removing food products stored inside.
The items allegedly taken included bags of rice, noodles and groundnut oil.
Despite heavy rainfall during the incident, residents continued moving in and out of the warehouse with food items.
A small number of police officers at the scene reportedly struggled to control the crowd as tension intensified.
As of the time of filing this report, the looting was reportedly ongoing, with security personnel said to be firing tear-gas canisters in an effort to disperse the crowd and restore order.