Saturday, 24 October, 2020: When Benin residents looted COVID-19 palliatives!
From our news desk, Benin
In a few days time, the unfortunate incident of Saturday, 24 October, 2020 will be exactly three years.
It was on this day, Benin residents in their fury invaded the Edo State Medical Store, on Medical Store road, off New Lagos road, Benin, to loot COVID-19 palliatives stock piled away from their reach, by the Governor Godwin Obaseki's administration.
The invasion which began in the very early morning of this day, was said to had been in reaction to the hardships; prominent among which was hunger, imposed on them by the Government several restrictions at the time, due to outbreak of the dreaded coronavirus; code named: 'COVID-19' scourge.
Reports had it that not a few suffered various degree of injury and allegedly; a score of persons lost their life due to suffocation from the stampede of the invasion, and shootings from the security operatives on ground on the day.
Everything; various food stuff and other items were allegedly looted after parts of the walls of the fencing around the store, were pulled down by the invaders to force their way in.
The sing song on the lip of the angry invaders was; 'if Government would not freely share the palliatives to the people, then, they must be taken by force' as they felt their right to food and survival was allienated and trampled upon by those who were supposed to care.
Coincidentally, Nigerians are in another round of hardships; this time courtesy of the removal of fuel subsidy and consequent astronomical rise in pump price of the product, spiralling into many other negative multiplier effects.
Responding to the outcry of citizens therefore, the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration has again released various palliative packages, to douse the pains and tension invoked.
This includes the reported grant of N5bn each, to the 36 States of the federation including Abuja.
Also, load of trailers of rice and other food items have been ordered by the Presidency to be distributed to the various States of the federation, and made available to the people.
But in Edo, there seems to be nothing coming in this regard, as there are no signs apart from the free bus ride which Government said would last for three months.
Back then, the State Government came up with a face saving feeble explanation, that the food stuff looted were simply stocked for any emergency situation that may arise in the future.
Contrastingly however, a lot of the food stuff said to had been kept to salvage the so called emergency situation were perishable items; rice, garri, indomie, spaghetti e.t.c that could not have lasted a long time; without being put to use and indeed, they were already in perishable state as at the time the people looted them.
With the ugly incident of October 2020 still alive in their memory; Benin residents therefore, are already wondering if the palliatives meant to reduce their pains at this time will not again, be put away from their reach by powers that be and allowed to waste.
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