Tight security at NEMA stores as hoodlums loot FCT warehouses

The police have beefed up security at the warehouses belonging to the National Emergency Management Agency nationwide following the looting of food warehouses in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, on Sunday, by suspected hoodlums.

This was as soldiers foiled an attempt to raid a factory warehouse at the Idu Industrial District, Jabi, Abuja, on Sunday morning, arresting five of the attackers.

Footage of the incident made available to The PUNCH showed the arrested suspects lying on the ground as armed soldiers stood over them.

The factory was involved in the production, processing, and packaging of various agro-commodities including grains, rice, pulses, and edible oil.

Several incidents of attacks and looting of warehouses and food trucks have been reported in many cities against the backdrop of the hardship and the cost of living crisis in the country,

Last week, some youths stole food items from trucks stuck in traffic along Kaduna Road in the Suleja area of Niger State.

The attackers reportedly overwhelmed the truck drivers and looted scores of bags of rice before they were dispersed by soldiers.

The Abuja incident occurred around 9.30am on Sunday shortly after some hoodlums attacked a warehouse belonging to the Agricultural and Rural Development Secretariat of the FCT Administration located in the Dei-Dei area of the capital city.

The FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Josephine Adeh, confirmed the looting of the Dei-Dei warehouse and said that the situation had been brought under control.

The Nigerian Army confirmed the foiled attack on a private warehouse at the Idu Industrial area of the FCT by hoodlums, adding that five suspects were arrested.

Speaking in an interview with one of our correspondents, the Director, Army Public Relations, Maj. Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, noted that the suspects were arrested with their loot.

He said the suspects would be handed over to the police after the services’ preliminary investigation.

Onyema said, “About five suspects were arrested with their loot and are currently undergoing preliminary investigation, after which they will be handed over to the police”

Narrating what happened at the Idu factory, a source said, “Some hoodlums attacked our company today (Sunday). It happened this morning between 9.30am and 10am. They came in large numbers of about 200 to 300 people with bikes and keke, carrying sticks and long knives.

Troops foil looting

“I was in the office and as they came, our security men, which comprise armed soldiers and policemen, as well as private guards took positions. So the guards tried to hold them down at the gate.

“But they started throwing stones and pressing to enter the warehouses from the gate. Our security did not allow them and some of them went behind the company and tried to jump through the fence, but the security personnel now spread themselves around and called for a backup.”

The worker who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the issue, explained that the situation was saved by the security reinforcement which responded within a short time.

He noted, “We thank God the backup came very fast because the security personnel got information about the situation early this morning.

“So, it is like they told their men to be on standby because immediately they called for backup, trucks of DSS (Department of State Services) officers and soldiers arrived and they were able to hold the hoodlums down.

Some were chased away and some others were arrested. The video and pictures you saw showed those who were caught and arrested.”

On how the hoodlums got to know that there was a warehouse with food items in the vicinity, the source said, “The hoodlums looted the warehouse in 2020 during the COVID-19 period. During that attack, they vandalised everything in the warehouse, entered, and looted it completely because it had no security then.

But now, it has its security. That time they took out hundreds of bags of rice from the warehouse. Now the factory deals with not just rice but a lot of agro-commodities including sesame seeds, pulses, edible oil, etc.

“We thank God that the security personnel were able to hold them down this morning. It was something else at the Idu Industrial area this morning. As they drove them away, I am very sure that they must have proceeded to another warehouse to loot because it was not like they were coming for us alone. As they moved, any warehouse they came across, there was a high possibility that they were going to loot it.”

Asked about the number of persons arrested by the soldiers, the source replied, “It should be around 20 of them because many of them fled when the backup from the DSS and the army arrived.”

FCTA confirms looting

The Agricultural and Rural Development Secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Administration confirmed the looting of its warehouse in Dei-Dei.

The spokesperson for the ARD Secretariat, Zakari Aliyu, said the FCT Mandate Secretary, Agric Secretariat, Lawan Geidam, visited the warehouse, which was vandalised, adding that the looters also stole roof and windows.

He added that the FCT Minister of State, Dr Mariya Mahmoud and Geidam, would again visit the facility on Monday (today) where more detailed information would be given regarding the incident.

Aliyu stated, “We visited the scene of the incident this morning. We visited with the secretary and some other officials of the secretariat. So, by tomorrow (today), the secretary, I think with the Minister of State, will pay another visit to that place.

“I am sure that a lot of information that will be useful to you, you will get it. If you can just be patient, tomorrow you will get all the information you need. If you go there, there is nothing there. Do you know that they removed the roof, and the windows, apart from the food items?’’

‘Security at NEMA’

“To forestall any security breach at NEMA facilities, the Director-General, Mustapha Ahmed, has directed zonal directors and heads of operations to strengthen security in and around the agency’s offices and warehouses nationwide.”

Against the backdrop of the attack on the Abuja warehouses, the police commands in Bayelsa, Kaduna, Delta, Osun, Sokoto, Gombe, and other states have deployed personnel to protect warehouses, food stores, silos and other infrastructure.

The spokesperson for Bayelsa State police command, Musa Mohammed, confirmed that the command had deployed various security measures to prevent the looting of warehouses in the state.

These, he said, include drone patrol and other electronic surveillance, adding that the command was collaborating with other security agencies to protect food warehouses.

Mohammed said, “Anti-mob dispersal drills are emplaced, drone patrol, CCTV and other electronic surveillance measures are on.

“Stability patrols are being coordinated with other security agencies. All these measures are targeted at protecting all warehouses and to ensure social harmony.” see