Osogbo residents loot warehouse after food scheme closure

Residents in Osogbo, Osun State, looted a warehouse linked to Global Food Initiative on Tuesday, a day after customers who had paid in advance for discounted food found the scheme’s premises closed and its operators unreachable. Residents removed bags of rice, vegetable oil and other food items from the warehouse in the OdiOlowo area. Accounts of the scene said the looting continued despite police presence. The number of people involved and the value of the goods taken have not been established. The warehouse incident followed a gathering on Monday by customers seeking food they said they had paid for, or refunds. The scheme offered food below prevailing market prices, with customers paying in advance and typically returning about a week later to collect their orders. It had reportedly been operating for about three weeks. Customers described substantial individual payments. One customer, Mistura, said she paid N300,000 for 11 bags of rice priced at N27,000 each. She said the same quantity would have cost about N605,000 at a market price of N55,000 per bag. Another customer, Olamide, said she paid N1.2 million for assorted food items intended for her stepdaughter’s wedding.