Hours after residents of Minna, Niger state, trooped out in large numbers to protest the hardship caused by the rising cost of living occasioned by the downturn of the economy, the governor of the state, Mohammed Umar Bago disclosed that the protest was due to the activities of food speculators mopping up foodstuffs from various local markets across the state.
Bago told journalists that a group of hoodlums attempted to hijack trucks loaded with food items that were heading to Abuja for storage.
“In the early hours of Monday, some unidentified hoodlums mobilised women and youths after their morning prayers to block some food trucks passing through Minna with an intent to cart away the foodstuffs. However, with the timely intervention of security agencies, their plans were thwarted.
“Similar attempts were made on other trucks conveying food supplies through the State at Mokwa and Lapai local government areas of the State before security agencies stepped in and diverted the trucks,” the governor said.
He blamed the hike in prices of foodstuff on food speculators who stormed local markets to mop up foodstuff and conveyed them out of the state to other states and neighbouring countries.
“I have decided to issue an executive order effective today to stop food speculators from invading our local markets to mop up our farm produce to other states and neighbouring countries, thereby making things difficult for people of the state and Nigeria as a whole.
“By this order, any truck found in any rural market coming to load food supplies in bulk will be confiscated, and the produce will be auctioned out immediately.”
A News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) check in Kpakungu area of Minna on Monday revealed that women’s group and many youth in the area blocked the roundabout in the area to express their grievances over the issue.
The youth and men among them blocked the road, stopping vehicular movement.
Efforts by the police to stop the protest and disperse the protesters failed until the deputy governor of the state, Alhaji Yakubu Garba, addressed them.
They urged the Federal and state governments to do something urgently to tackle the hardship across the country before it gets out of hand.
Responding, Garba appealed to the protesters to sheath their swords as the state government was doing everything possible to ameliorate the economic hardship on the people, pledging that the Niger state government will continue to distribute palliatives to the down trodden.
“The state government is very much aware of the economic hardship faced by our people, hence you have to remain calm as modalities have been put in place to ease your sufferings,” he said.
Efforts to get the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Wasiu Abiodun, to speak on the issue was not successful as he refused to reply to messages sent to him.
● Additional reports by NAN.