Customers of a discounted food scheme in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, have looted the warehouse of the operators after the facility was shut and the company’s representatives could not be reached.
Videos circulating online on Tuesday showed residents carrying bags of rice, vegetable oil and other food items out of the warehouse operated by Global Food Initiative.
The incident occurred after a crowd of customers had gathered outside the facility for hours, demanding either the food items they had paid for or a refund.
The scheme reportedly began about three weeks ago, offering a 50kg bag of rice for ₦27,000, 25 litres of vegetable oil for ₦30,000 and a pack of spaghetti for ₦10,000.
Customers were required to pay in advance and were reportedly asked to return after seven days to collect their purchases.
Some customers said they had paid hundreds of thousands of naira under the scheme.
One woman claimed she paid ₦300,000 for 11 bags of rice, while another said she paid ₦1.2 million for food items intended for her stepdaughter’s wedding.
The operators remained unreachable as of the time of filing this report, while the exact number of affected customers and the total amount collected could not be immediately established.
The Osun State Police Command deployed officers to the area to maintain order.
The command’s spokesperson, Abiodun Ojelabi, said the police became aware of the situation after officers arrived at the scene, adding that no formal complaint had been lodged at the time.
