Residents of Akure, the capital of Ondo State, descended into a frenzy of looting on Monday, seizing food items and grains from a truck branded with President Bola Tinubu’s name.
The incident happened when the truck experienced a mechanical breakdown at a popular junction along the Ondo express road, known as the cultural centre.
Witnesses told Peoples Gazette how a diverse group, including petty traders, artisans, drivers, and commercial motorcyclists, swarmed the truck, forcefully opening it to access its contents.
“How they got to know the content still surprised me. The truck developed a mechanical fault and before we knew it the residents forced it open.
“They began to bring out the items in the pack which are mostly grains like rice and garri branded in President Tinubu’s blue colour, name and logo,” one of the witnesses said.
Footage circulating on Monday night captured remnants of the looted food items strewn along the roadside, underscoring the scale of the raid.
Reacting to the incident, social commentator Ibidapo Adelusi condemned the looting, urging law enforcement agencies to apprehend the perpetrators swiftly.
While attempts to reach the police spokesperson in Ondo, Funmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya, for comments proved unsuccessful, the gravity of the situation underscores the level of hunger in the country.
