Protesters numbering over a thousand on Friday broke into government COVID-19 warehouse in Cross River State and carted away various palliative items worth millions of naira.
The warehouse is located within the premises of the Cross River State Property Investment Limited (CROSPIL) and behind the Construction and Fabrication Academy of West Africa allegedly bought over by Governor Ben Ayade along Bishop Monag Avenue in Calabar Municipal local government area of the state, Daily Post reports.
The warehouse is less than 200 meters from the private residence of Governor Ayade and over a thousand people were seen on the street and compound where the palliatives were kept. They carted away foodstuffs including noodles, rice, beans, water and amongst others.
When contacted on Friday, the Permanent Secretary in charge of security in the Governor’s office, Dr Alfred Mboto, said the action of the protesters was regrettable.
He said, “Some people opened the warehouse and broke into it and invited others to come and pack the foodstuff.
“The warehouse is the state government warehouse where various palliatives were kept for onward distribution to people meant for. These are the people who were protesting peacefully until somebody opened the place and they went in and started looting. However, anybody arrested will be treated as a criminal,” he stated.
