The Agricultural and Rural Development Secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Administration has confirmed the plundering of its Dei-Dei warehouse by FCT residents on Sunday. The incident, attributed to prevailing economic hardships in the country, was disclosed by Zakari Aliyu, the spokesperson for the ARD Secretariat. Aliyu stated that the Secretary had previously inspected the warehouse, finding it completely emptied and vandalized, with even the roofs and windows removed.
In response to the incident, the FCT Minister of State, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, and the FCT Mandate Secretary, Agric Secretariat, Lawan Geidam, are scheduled to revisit the facility on Monday. They are expected to provide more detailed information about the situation. Aliyu urged patience, assuring that comprehensive information would be made available during the officials’ visit.
“The Secretary, I think with the Minister of State, will pay another visit to that place. I am sure that a lot of information that will be useful to you, you will get it. If you can just be patient, tomorrow you will get all the information you need. If you go there, there is nothing there. If you know that place, do you know that they removed the roof, and the windows inclusive, apart from the food items?” he explained.
In a separate development, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has refuted claims that its Abuja warehouse was looted. Manzo Ezekiel, in the NEMA Press Unit, issued a statement denying the reports and expressing sympathy for the affected warehouse owners. NEMA emphasized its commitment to enhancing security at its zonal offices and warehouses nationwide to prevent any security breaches.
“The attention of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has been drawn to media reports on Sunday alleging that the Agency’s warehouse was looted by some hoodlums in Abuja. This is to clarify that the looted warehouse does not belong to NEMA. However, the Agency sympathizes with the owners of the looted facility. To forestall any security breach at NEMA facilities, Director General Mustapha Habib Ahmed has directed Zonal Directors and Heads of Operations to strengthen security in and around the Agency’s offices and warehouses nationwide,” the statement read.
