Women’s Role in The Looting Across Nigeria

What began as the well intentioned desire of the people to claim what belonged to them has since spiralled out of control to become the despicable crime of looting public and private properties. During and after the EndSars protests, some unsavory groups of people have indulged in breaking into shops and businesses and carting away other people’s investments. This “movement” that should have ended when citizens reclaimed Covid palliatives that should have been distributed to them beforehand has evolved into something sinister. 

Today, the National Youth Service Corp(NYSC) camp in Abuja was besieged by looters who chased away policemen and carted away mattresses, beds, sewing machines and food meant for corps members.

Looting In Lagos State, Nigeria 

Looters who broke into Shoprite in Lagos took away items like clothes, electrical appliances and food items such as muffins and ice cream which they promptly shared among themselves. These looters were males and females of all ages. It is worthy to note that the businesses in the Shoprite shopping mall were private owned. 

Samsung office on Bode Thomas road and other small businesses were also broken into, vandalized and everything of value was carted away by the looters. Private warehouses were also looted. Circle Mall in Jakande lekki was looted and later set on fire. 

Some of the items looted have been recovered. 

Looting In Edo State, Nigeria

Information was leaked on the internet that the Covid-19 Palliatives were in a government warehouse at Medical Store Road in Benin, city. A crowd was gathered there by 7am the next morning and only exercised restraint because soldiers told them to. This warehouse allegedly contained Cacovid palliatives, medical supplies, gas burners, and more. A young man died while trying to access the warehouse through the back door. 

A private warehouse on Textile Mill Road, Benin City was also looted by the hoodlums who were ignorant or cared less about that information. The owner was said to have looked on in trepidation, wailing inconsolably as his goods were carted away by the mob. 

The governor in a speech later that evening expressed his disappointment with the citizens, saying that those medical supplies contained vaccines for little children and the aged. He also said that the warehouse was one which supplied the entire state with medicine and condemned the looting of private business. 

The Edo state police commissioner has arrested fifty persons in connection with the looting of Covid-19 Palliatives. 

Looting In Osun State, Nigeria

In Osun state, looting has also occurred. Private owned shops have bee broken into and their goods taken away by hoodlums of all ages and gender. These goods include foodstuff, electronics, motorcycles and other items. The Osun Mall also suffered at the hands of looters. Some of these looters were armed with machetes. 

Looting In Kogi State, Nigeria

The state cold store was looted by hoodlums who carted away goods and medical vaccines that could have saved lives. 

The State Emergency Management Agency warehouse at Zone 8 lokoja was also broken into and items such as beds, aluminum roofing sheets and food items were carted away. 

Security agencies reacted by opening fire on looters and many are feared dead. 

In other news, the governor of Kogi state Yahaya Bello said today in an interview with Channels TV that those palliatives had already been shared. He also expressed his disbelief that Covid-19 was real and talked on how he rejected the 1billion-naira Covid-19 grant from the federal government.  

When asked about the Endsars protests, Governor Yahaya who had previously offered to lead said protests opined that the protests are political. He also expressed displeasure towards the looting of warehouses. 

Women’s Role In Looting Across Nigeria

Some mothers have expressed concerns over their children’s inability to resume school, saying that this greatly influences their decision to loot. Meanwhile, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) held yet another meeting with the federal government yesterday. Today’s ASUU strike update is that they are yet to call off the strike. 

Women have played an equal role with their male counterparts in the looting of public and private goods. This is very disappointing because women are supposed to be the moral pillars of their family and the voices of reason. However, the taste for free goods have led them on this shameful act of raiding private owned businesses with reckless abandon. It is this same recklessness that caused a mother to forget her three-year-old son at a looting site. 

There’s also the group of women who have had their goods stolen and their businesses destroyed by these hoodlums and are currently going through a crisis. They did not deserve to suffer for the mistakes and wrongs of a lackadaisical government. Women are admonished to desist from such reproachful acts and continue being the voice of reason in our society. Our prayers are with women who have lost their sources of livelihood to looters.