Tension as Edo Residents Ransack Truckload of Rice

Anxiety filled the air as residents of Urora in Benin, Edo State, looted a truckload of rice parked nearby on Thursday, coinciding with the opening day of nationwide protests against bad governance and hunger.

In a 40-second viral video viewed by our correspondent, residents were seen running to a street section in Urora and emerging with mini bags of rice. The person recording the video shouted, “This is our rice that the government gave us, this is where they hid it. We have located it. This is Urora. Look at rice everywhere, come and collect your rice. Look at the rice that the Edo State Government gave us; this is where they hid it.”

In another video, a resident mentioned that the truck was parked behind Bethel Faith Secondary School, Urora, criticizing the Edo State Government’s actions as wicked.

However, the All Progressives Congress (APC) expressed no surprise at this discovery. The party accused Governor Godwin Obaseki’s administration of converting everything received from the Federal Government on behalf of the Edo people into donations branded as from his administration.

The state APC chairman, Jarrett Tenebe, stated in an interview with NIGERIA NEWS 247 that the Edo State Government had failed to account for the 20 trucks of rice received from the Federal Government last month. He accused Obaseki of repackaging the rice and other grains in branded mini bags with the Edo State insignia and misleading the public by claiming his government purchased the rice.

Tenebe added that the video circulating on social media revealed the deliberate plan by Obaseki to deprive the people of accessing the palliative measures.

In response, the Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, denied that the state government had a warehouse in Urora, stating that relief materials were distributed through religious organizations. He accused the APC of spreading malicious content to cause chaos and score political points, condemning the party’s actions.