Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, has directed security operatives to treat anyone that comes near the state-owned event centre under any guise to loot COVID-19 palliatives as criminal.
Thugs had on Saturday besieged the event centre along Okpanam Road in Asaba, the state capital, to loot COVID-19 palliatives perceived to have been stored there but were repelled by a team of security operatives including the police and army.
The miscreants also came to the centre with gallons of fuel to set the place ablaze after the looting.
On getting the information that the centre was being invaded, Okowa and other top government officials with security personnel visited the place.
The governor expressed shock over the the invasion and attempt to set the centre ablaze by miscreants, explaining that the palliatives were earlier donated by Coalition Against COVID to the state government and stored in the centre, which was used as a warehouse but had since been distributed to vulnerable residents of the state.
He said, “I am very much aware that the food items from (CA-COVID) have long been distributed in line with suggested guidelines but unfortunately some people were still spreading false information on the social media posting pictures of the (CA-COVID) items at the time of the launch.
“I came to the event centre just to let people know that there was nothing here. There are no food items in the event centre and anybody who come here for any reason security agencies should please treat that person as a criminal because there is no food stuff here. We are also aware that some people have also come with jerrican of fuel possibly to set this place ablaze.”
