Mariya Mahmoud, the Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), officially declared that the looting of a warehouse in Gwagwa-Tasha by hoodlums on Sunday constituted a criminal act.
Mahmoud’s declaration came after she conducted an assessment visit to the site to evaluate the extent of damage to the warehouse.
Speaking to reporters at the scene, she disclosed that the looting went beyond mere hunger.
She expressed her dismay at the unfortunate incident where hoodlums made off with all the stored grains and other food supplies, including the roofing materials and fence.
In response to the behavior of the local youths, the Minister assured that the administration would take proactive measures.
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Specifically, they plan to establish police posts in all government warehouses across the territory to prevent such incidents in the future.
The minister said:
“We are here due to the unfortunate incident that happened early hours of yesterday (Sunday) where hoodlums attacked this very warehouse and packed everything that is here, including the fence.
“Not only the food items that are here, including the roofings, windows, and even the gates of this place and offices were all attacked.
“You can see the level of damage. There is nothing that is left here, including machineries that are used for the processing of these things.
“As you have heard, people around, the youth of the environment or the community are suspected to have instigated this incident. So, this is a very sad event and we are not happy about it.”
The Minister observed that the looting occurred during the restocking of the warehouse by the FCTA.
According to her, the purpose of the restocking was to comply with President Bola Tinubu’s directive to distribute relief supplies to all six area councils in the nation’s capital city.
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