Murtala Ibrahim, a businessman and grain seller in the Gwagwa area of Abuja, has lost about N120million after a rented warehouse where he stocked assorted grains worth N210million was attacked by a mob, who looted the facility.
On Sunday morning, with a crowd of people armed with deadly weapons descending on the private warehouse under the false belief that it belonged to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and that the stored commodities were meant for Nigerians.
NEMA, however, clarified that the targeted warehouse did not belong to it. However, in an interview with BBC Hausa, Ibrahim provided insights into the incident and the attendant losses.
“I had over 550 bags of rice, 550 bags of sugar, and 200 bags of beans, all totalling N210 million. What we managed to recover was only about N90million,” he lamented.
He further explained that upon receiving a distress call about the attempted break-in into the warehouse by the mob, he rushed to the scene and saw the crowd, hence he became helpless.
“I went to report to the Police, but they were not around, so I sought help from my friends, The owner of the warehouse had already arrived before me and was trying his best but to no avail,” he added.
According to him, despite the assistance of his friends, he could only recover about 1/3 of the looted items. Ibrahim said he and his friends went from house to house in the area and they managed to retrieve some of the stolen goods, but the damage had already been done.
The warehouse’s security guard, Sale Zakiru, also shared his futile attempt to stop the mob, emphasising that the store was not a government’s property.
“The owner of the warehouse arrived and called the police, but they didn’t arrive on time. The people were carrying deadly weapons and began to smash his car in anger, so we both had no choice but to stand aside,” Zakiru explained.
Ever since the price of foodstuff skyrocketed across the country in recent weeks, there have been reported incidents of looting moving trucks and warehouses by irate youths.
