Some angry youth in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) yesterday invaded several warehouses in the territory, carting away COVID-19 palliatives such agricultural produce, textiles and other items.
The affected facilities were warehouses at the Idu Industrial Layout, a warehouse in Dakibiyu village in Jabi district, belonging to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and an Agric store in Gwagwa-Tasha, which is owned by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).
These angry residents had on Saturday attempted to break-in into the Cyprian Ekwensi Centre for Arts Culture, Abuja, where they were repelled by security agents.
Following that development, Ramatu Aliyu, the Minister of State, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), had assured residents of the territory that palliative items in various stores across the territory were safe and secured.
She noted that security agents were being deployed to man strategic areas to avert looting of the items just like in other states.
But the scene at the Idu Industrial layout was so chaotic as these youth invaded the area and broke into some warehouses in the layout.
Many residents of the area were said to have trooped into the industrial Layout to get whatever they could lay their hands on.
BusinessDay learnt that while most of the warehouses that were looted in the industrial layout are privately owned, the ones belonging to government were largely empty of stocks.
All efforts by the police to deter the angry youth were unsuccessful as they carted away with several items, including mattresses, bags of rice, cereals and textiles materials.
Social and economic activities were paralysed in these areas as many offices had to shutdown and asked their staff to go home.
At the Dakibiyu village in Jabi district, hundreds of youths invaded the NEMA warehouse and carted away foodstuffs and other items.
It took reinforcement of security operatives to bring the situation under control as an initial deployment of some security personnel to the scene did not help matters.
