Several youths and hoodlums on Friday broke into a warehouse in Ede town where COVID-19 palliatives were kept and carted away food items.
The warehouse is located at the moribund Cocoa-Ceramic Industry in Ede.
Some of the items carted away include beans, noodles, sugar, salt, garri, rice and pasta.
It was gathered that residents made no attempt to stop them.
One of the youths Mufu Akano told NAN that he was happy to be among those who will go home “with what belongs to us”.
Akano noted that the food palliatives which were supposed to be distributed to residents in the state were locked up for some unexplained reasons and agenda which he considered “evil”.
He commended the looters which included commercial motorcyclists for their courage.
Reacting to the incident, the state government denied hoarding the food items but was waiting for an order before giving it out.
“We are in receipt of information that the Warehouse in Ede, where we kept the relief materials donated to the Osun Food and Relief Committee by the Private Sector Coalition Against Covid-19 (CACOVID), has been attacked and food items carted away.
“It has therefore become imperative to put the records straight in view of the falsehood and the misinformation making the rounds about the donated relief items.
“One, it is not true that the food items were hoarded.
“Two, the food items have no direct bearing with the State Government, as they are within the purview of the Food and Relief Committee.
“Three, the items can only be distributed after a formal flag-off by the CACOVID Office, Abuja.
“Four, we do not have the authority to distribute the food items without approval from Abuja.
The state government further said “the Committee is still expecting the rice component of the donated items, which is 40, 230 bags of 5kg.
“All these are part of the reasons the items were still in the warehouse up till the time of the invasion.
“The following items were donated: Pasta FMN – 29, 992; Pasta OLAM -10, 282; Noodles- 80, 644; Garri -40, 322; Salt- 40, 320; and Sugar – 40, 227.
However, the rice components of the donated items are yet to be delivered up until now.
“The Committee wrote to CACOVID as recently as September 28, 2020, reminding it of the rice component, which is yet to be delivered.
Part of the letter reads: “I wish to refer to our letter on the above subject and wish to request for the recent update on the rice component expected to have been delivered to the State, and also to seek your advice on the exact time the State should expect delivery, considering the fact that items already received into the Warehouse are food materials and are perishable with limited shelve lives.
“May I recall in our previous discussions that the delay experienced is due to the increase in cost of rice and delivery, that the amount paid to suppliers could no longer cover cost of purchase &delivery to Osun”
“However, up until this moment, we are yet to receive response from CACOVID. This is the truth about the status of the donated relief items until their unfortunate looting,” the statement said.
