Fear of looting: Osun receives CACOVID rice, begins ‘immediate distribution’

The Osun State Government has said that it took delivery of 40,332 10kg bags of rice donated by the Private Sector Coalition Against Covid-19 also known as CACOVID.

The disclosure was made in a video release on Saturday by the state Commissioner for Commerce, Industries, Cooperatives and Empowerment, Dr Bode Olaonipekun.

Olaonipekun said the state has commenced immediate distribution of the food items to local government councils for onward distribution to beneficiaries so as to forestall the looting that was witnessed in the aftermath of the #EndSARS protests last two months.

The PUNCH had earlier reported that hoodlums invaded and looted scores of warehouses that housed CACOVID palliatives in October during the unrest that trailed the #EndSARS protests. The looting took place all over the country.

But the commissioner said, “By reason of current exigencies in terms of security and storage due to past experiences we had during the #EndSARS looting spree that we experienced in the state, particularly targeting the warehouses where the CACOVID food items were stored, we are not going to warehouse any of the rice components that CACOVID has supplied.

“The strategy we have deployed takes the form of direct distribution from the suppliers’ trucks for onward passage to trucks that are made available by each local government. All beneficiaries as itemised by CACOVID will be taken care of in such a way that it will be traceable and also accountable.”

Punch