Following the incident involving looted palliative rice discovered in a parked truck near Benin City at Urora community, the Edo State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of two suspects in relation to the matter. This disclosure was made by Funsho Adegboye, the Commissioner of Police in Benin City during a press briefing.
Reports emerged on August 1, coinciding with the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests, highlighting a viral video depicting residents looting rice from a warehouse located at Urora quarters in Uhunmwonde LGA. In the video, which lasted 40 seconds, individuals can be seen taking bags of 10kg rice as they mention the warehouse’s alleged ownership by the state government.
The aftermath of the incident sparked a series of disputes between the Edo State Government and the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) regarding the ownership of the rice. While the State Government denied any connection to the rice, it shifted blame towards the APC for the circulation of the viral video.
Conversely, the APC argued that the video exposed what they claimed to be Governor Godwin Obaseki’s deliberate attempt to hinder Edo residents from accessing various palliative measures. Tenebe, speaking at a press briefing in Benin City, suggested that a notable PDP market woman leader was allegedly involved in the selling of a significant portion of the rice in markets.
Accusing the Governor of economic sabotage, the APC chairman insisted that the situation warranted attention from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Amidst ongoing accusations and rebuttals between the Edo State Government and the APC, the state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) later claimed ownership of the rice. CAN’s state chairman, Irekpono Omoike, clarified in a statement that the looted rice was part of a vendor’s stock under contract for the Christian Feeding Programme.