Police arrest 15 looters in Abuja, insist hunger doesn't lead to criminality

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Police authorities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have condemned looting and vandalism of facilities of warehouse, arresting15 suspects over the criminal act.

Some residents had on Sunday morning looted a warehouse belonging to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Department of Agriculture in the Tasha area of Abuja.

However, the FCT Police Command arrested 15 persons of the criminals after combing their residences and recovering some of the looted facilities and food items.

A statement said, “The FCT police command is fully informed about the impulsive attack on Agric Department Strategic food store located at Tasha, Abuja, on 2/03/2024 by some irate mobs, which resulted in the vandalism and looting of the warehouse.

“The Command wishes to state that normalcy has since been restored to the environ and the situation is very much under control, as fifteen(15) suspects were arrested, including two local security guards employed by the warehouse management. Exhibits such as twenty-six (26) bags of maize, five motorcycles, and some vandalized aluminum roofings were recovered from the suspects.”

There have been looting of trailer-loads of cement and food items in some states and warehouses amid the biting economic hardship in Nigeria.

The President Bola Tinubu administration is blamed for the sudden removal of fuel subsidy and floating of the naira, which are believed by some Nigerians to have worsened inflation in the country.

But the Federal Government has introduced measures to cushion the impacts of the reforms, including cash transfers and distribution of palliatives.