Tension escalated in Osogbo, Osun State, on Tuesday as angry residents broke into a warehouse operated by the Global Food Initiative and carted away food items after the operators of the scheme allegedly disappeared.

The incident occurred at the organisation’s office in the Odi-Olowo area of Osogbo, where residents had gathered after reportedly paying substantial sums for food commodities offered at prices significantly below prevailing market rates.

The development followed Monday’s unrest at the same location, where customers who had made payments waited for the operators to open for business but were left stranded.

One of the affected residents, identified as Mistura, said she paid N300,000 last Wednesday for 11 bags of rice at N27,000 per bag.

According to her, customers were normally expected to receive their goods one week after payment. She said the same quantity of rice would have cost about N605,000 at the prevailing market price of N55,000 per bag.

Another customer, Olamide, said she deposited N1.2 million for various food items she planned to use for her stepdaughter’s forthcoming wedding.

“I got here this morning and met a crowd waiting to be attended to, but the operators were nowhere to be found. I was warned, but I never thought they would run away this early. The items I paid for were to be used for my stepdaughter’s wedding ceremony,” she said.

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The situation deteriorated on Tuesday when more customers returned to the premises, hoping the operators would resume operations or provide an explanation over their absence.

The owner of the building reportedly appealed to the aggrieved residents to remain calm and allow security personnel to investigate the matter and identify the operators, while exploring possible ways of recovering the money paid by customers.

The appeal, however, failed to calm the crowd.

At about 4pm, some members of the crowd reportedly forced their way into the warehouse and began removing food products stored inside the facility.

The items allegedly taken included bags of rice, noodles and groundnut oil.

The downpour that accompanied the incident did little to deter the residents, as people continued to move in and out of the warehouse with food items.

A small number of police officers at the scene struggled to contain the situation as the crowd grew increasingly agitated.

As of the time of filing this report, the looting was still ongoing, while security personnel were reportedly firing tear-gas canisters in an attempt to disperse the crowd and restore order.

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