BY FOLASHADE KEHINDE
THE Lagos State Government has condemned Thursday’s looting of a COVID-19 palliatives warehouse in the Mazamaza area of the state.
The Commissioner for Agriculture in the state, Abisola Olusanya, said the foodstuffs were donated to the state government by the private sector-led Coalition Against COVID-19.
The Point had reported that hoodlums, on Thursday, attacked the warehouse, situated at Benster Crescent, pupularly known as Monkey Village.
The hoodlums, who fired gunshots as they stormed the area, were said to have told residents to come out and take their own share of “National Cake”.
According to the Commissioner, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on September 22, 2020, formally took delivery of the food palliatives from the CACOVID team for distribution to indigent residents.
She said, “The government notes that the warehouse in question is not state-owned and its usage was made available to the CACOVID group. The state government was allowed to commence re-bagging of food items allotted to it from the quantities meant for South-West states.
“The re-bagging was being done to account for each beneficiary receipt as was required and monitored by the CACOVID team. The distribution was ongoing, but was halted due to protests, before the invasion of the warehouse today (Thursday).”
A resident of the area, located in the Oriade Local Council Development Area, who simply identified her self as Saida, had claimed that even some police operatives were seen carting away some of the items.
“They first scared everyone away with heavy gunshots and then the looting began. They were calling people to come and take their share,” the secondary school teacher said.
The looting, which started in the early hours of Thursday, went on for hours.
The items are branded with the inscription: COVID-19 palliatives.
