By Blessing Olaifa, Abuja, James Azania, Lokoja, Onimisi Alao, Yola, Toba Adedeji, Osogbo

Hoodlums on Monday broke into warehouses in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Adamawa, Kogi and Osun states in their continued search for COVID-19 relief materials.

At Gwagwalada in (FCT), Abuja, residents attacked a massive palliative warehouse built by the local government for COVID 19 relief materials, carting away different items.

Three women, however, died in a stampede as the crowd surrounded the building, which was located behind the Nigerian Immigration Service complex.

Some looters, who suffocated, were helped out of the building and water poured on their heads.

Some youths climbed fences from adjacent compounds near West African Examinations Council (WAEC) office. Others fought their ways through the back of a bank. Parts of the roofs of the warehouse were broken by the hoodlums to provide access into the hall.

Personnel of the Nigeria Civil Defence and Security Corps, the Police and the Brigade of Guards of the Army, who arrived at the venue early, blocking the roads with their vehicles, succumbed to the massive crowd. They watched as people made away with the COVID 19 palliative materials.

Kogi agric project warehouse looted in dawn raid

Suspected hoodlums, in a dawn raid, on Monday looted the Agricultural Development Project (ADP) fertiliser warehouse in Kogi State.

The hoodlums were said to have overpowered the security men attached to the warehouse in the Felele area, Lokoja, carting away unspecified bags of fertilisers.

Read Also: Soldiers deployed in cities to stop more looting, arson

Commissioner for Information and Communication Kingsley Fanwo, in a statement yesterday, attributed the development to the handiwork of armed robbers, who according to him, brandished “dangerous weapons” to overpower the security men on duty.

He, however, said some of the looters have been arrested and were making useful statements to the police.

“They stole bags of fertilisers and agrochemicals, dangling dangerous weapons to scare the security operatives on duty at the ADP. This is considered an attack on the economy of the state as the government has positioned agriculture to drive the state out of the global economic gloom,” the commissioner stated.

Rice miller loses N188m goods to thugs in Adamawa

A rice miller in Adamawa State has cried out for succour after thugs broke into his mill and carted away bags of parboiled and white rice valued at N188,465,000.

Chief Executive Officer of Shemad Concept Nigeria Ltd Alhaji Mohammed Shemad told reporters yesterday morning that the thugs forced their way into his rice mill located at Bakin Kogi, a riverside community in Yola North Local Government Area (LGA) and removed 10,615 bags of rice that had been processed.

The thugs first broke into government warehouses in the state capital, Yola, Sunday morning and took away all they could find.

This prompted Governor Ahmadu Fintiri to impose a curfew, which took effect from 3 p.m. on Sunday.

The hoodlums, however, defied the curfew, breaking into more government establishments and later deviated into private establishments.

“Altogether, we had 10,615 bags of rice – 5,210 of them were parboiled rice and the rest white rice,” Shamad said, explaining that his company sells white rice at N17,500 per bag and parboiled rice at N18,000 per bag to wholesalers.

Hoodlums loot N120m drugs, office equipment in Osogbo

Osun State Health Insurance Scheme (OHIS) has declared that N120 million worth drugs and office equipment were damaged and looted at the weekend.

The management noted that N77.7 million drugs and office equipment were carted away. It added that N42.3 million drugs and office equipment were damaged by hoodlums.

The management, through the Executive Secretary of OHIS, Dr. Adeniyi Ogini, in a news conference yesterday, described the incident as unfortunate.