Hundreds of looters arrested in Lagos, Plateau, Osun

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested 229 suspected hoodlums in connection with the violence and the looting across the state.

The looting of COVID-19 palliatives started in Lagos with hoodlums breaking into the warehouse located at Monkey village, Mazamaza in Amuwo Odofin Local Government and carting away the COVID-19 palliatives.

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Eyewitnesses said some hoodlums broke into the premises and overpowered the security men on duty before leaving the place open for residents to loot the food items reportedly donated by the private sector coalition against COVID-19.

Three people were reportedly dead when the hoodlums broke into the warehouse. It was believed that the same set of hoodlums also set ablaze the Amuwo Odofin local government secretariat.

Items in the store included rice, noodles, and beans, among others.

The Commissioner for Agriculture, Abisola Olusanya, said the warehouse was not state-owned and its usage was made available to the CA-COVID group.

“The State Government had been allowed to commence re-bagging of food items allotted to it from the quantities meant for South West States. The re-bagging was being done to account for each beneficiary receipt, as was required and monitored by the CACOVID team,” she said.

In plateau State, the Operation Safe Haven yesterday paraded 109 persons suspected to have participated in the invasion of a warehouse in the Plateau State Agricultural Development Programme in the early house of Sunday.

The hoodlums broke into a warehouse belonging to the Plateau Agriculture Development Programme located in Dogon Dutse area of Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State, carting away bags of fertilizers and different farming tools stored in the warehouse.

Also, many suspected looters were arrested yesterday when security agents raided homes in Osogbo, Osun State Capital.

Looted items were found and recovered from residents and the suspects were taken away. They had looted government and private assets on Friday and Saturday.

Those arrested were crying and begging the security agents. They said they thought it was their opportunity to get their own share of national loot.

The security agents at the scene declined comments on the operation and refused to disclose the number of suspects arrested so far.

The spokesperson of the state police command, Yemisi Opalola, told Daily Trust that at the appropriate time, all those that committed offences during EndSARS protest, including the looters and vandals, would be arrested and charged to court.