Protesters in Edo loot a truckload of rice, vowing to recover all diverted palliatives. Discover the reasons behind this bold action.
On Thursday, a group of protestors stole an entire truckload of rice from Urora community in the Ikpoba-okha Local Government area of Edo State.
According to eyewitnesses who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), protestors came across a parked truck in their path during demonstrations.
Unnamed sources have posited that the rice in question may have been meant for Edo locals as part of Federal Government relief efforts, but instead was allegedly diverted by political figures.
The suspicion of diversion, purportedly for the community’s gain, was further fueled by the packaging of rice in 10kg sacks.
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Local officials were alleged to have concealed all Edo-bound palliatives, prompting the protesters’ determination to reveal and retrieve them.
The protesters captured footage of the looting and shared it online. To counter this, Chris Nehikhare – who held the position of state Commissioner for Communication and Orientation – refuted any claims that the rice belonged to their government.
He claimed that opposition parties were manipulating these events in order to further their own political agendas.
According to Nehikhare, the looting of rice from an unknown truck and private homes in certain areas of Benin City during the ‘EndBadGovernance’ protests has been noted by the Edo State Government.
While videos circulating online allegedly depict these incidents occurring near Urora axis, Ikpoba Hill in Benin; it is important to note that no state-owned warehouses were involved.
