Gunshots, Rain as Residents Loot Food Warehouse in Osogbo

Residents of Osogbo, Osun State, on Tuesday looted a warehouse operated by Global Food Initiative after investors reportedly failed to access food items linked to their investments in the scheme.

The incident occurred amid heavy rainfall and police gunshots as residents from nearby communities joined investors at the warehouse.

Several investors had returned to the company’s office and warehouse after the operators reportedly failed to open their office on Monday.

The investors had earlier gathered at the premises to demand access to their food supplies.

Some returned as early as 8am on Tuesday but met personnel of the Amotekun Corps, who were deployed to maintain order.

The investors remained at the premises until about 4pm, when the security personnel reportedly left.

Later in the evening, hoodlums allegedly broke into the warehouse and opened its doors, allowing residents to enter and remove food items.

Residents from Egbetedo, Odi-Olowo, Fagbewesa, Asubiaro and neighbouring communities reportedly rushed to the facility.

They carried away 50kg bags of rice, 50-litre containers of vegetable oil, spaghetti, semovita, beverages and other food products.

Police officers later arrived at the scene and fired shots into the air in an attempt to disperse the crowd. However, the shooting initially failed to stop the looting, as more people reportedly joined the rush.

An investor identified as Nike said she had invested more than N300,000 in the scheme and was trying to recover part of her investment through the food items.

“I can only struggle to take what I can find. People who did not invest in the scheme were also taking bags of rice and vegetable oil. I cannot simply stand by and lose my money,” she said.

The situation also created an opportunity for some hoodlums to target investors who managed to remove items from the warehouse.

The hoodlums allegedly threatened some investors with axes and cutlasses before forcing them to surrender the food products they had collected.

Police intervention eventually prevented the situation from escalating further, while the warehouse was reportedly emptied of its contents.