Nigeria’s emergency agency has announced heightened security measures at its warehouses in response to a significant looting incident at a food store in the capital over the weekend.
The incident, which occurred on the outskirts of Abuja, underscores the prevailing social unrest stemming from escalating prices and the country’s economic challenges. Last week, thousands participated in labor union protests, adding to the ongoing demonstrations.
Footage from Nigerian news channels and social media depicted hundreds of individuals ransacking a warehouse in the Gwagwa area on Sunday, transporting sacks of grain on foot and by motorbike.
The National Emergency Management Agency clarified that the warehouse did not belong to them but emphasized the reinforcement of security in and around their offices and warehouses across the nation as a precautionary measure.
The minister of state for the capital’s vicinity confirmed the raid on Monday, attributing it to a Federal Capital Territory Administration warehouse. She described the act as a crime “beyond hunger” and highlighted the need to bolster security around all warehouses.
Tuesday witnessed a large-scale protest across Nigeria against the escalating cost of living, fueled by the worst economic crisis in a generation. Demonstrators, aligned with the Nigeria Labour Congress umbrella union, aimed to exert pressure on the government, which implemented reforms last year, adversely affecting citizens in Africa’s largest economy and most populous country.
Since assuming office last year, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu terminated a fuel subsidy and currency controls, resulting in a triple increase in petrol prices and a surge in living expenses as the naira depreciated against the dollar.
In January, the inflation rate reached almost 30 percent, a three-decade high, according to the national bureau of statistics. While Tinubu urges patience for the reforms to yield positive results and attract foreign investment, the measures have inflicted hardship on the population.
Many impoverished Nigerians have had to forgo meals and essential products such as meat, eggs, and milk. In the north, the economic crisis has compelled people to consume low-quality rice intended for fish food.
Desperate to feed their children, women have been documented digging up anthills in search of stored grain, illustrating the dire consequences of the economic challenges on the country’s citizens.
