#EndSARS: The Palliatives Looting Scandal
Five years ago, a Civil Defense Officer friend of mine guarding a facility at Apo Mechanic Village belonging to Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), called me and secretly allowed me inside the premises to see the drugs, hospital equipment, syringes, bandages, wasting there. It was kept there for years just wasting. When I got there to do a video, these drugs from the United States had expired. These drugs and equipment can fit in into two Dangote trailers or even more. That's how much was stored in AMAC facility at Apo, Abuja. After I did a report on it, the drugs and hospital equipment were quickly carted away by the authority.
The #EndSARS protest climaxed with Nigerians in many states searching for the Covid 19 Palliatives stored in large warehouses and bursting these ware houses and taking it for themselves. Afterall the palliatives was meant for them. Most of these Nigerians came out showing their faces on cameras addressing the media and some made videos showing their faces, daring it all, accusing the government of hoarding the Palliatives for themselves. The people know their government very well. Now we are left with state governments trying to do public relations to defend themselves and why the palliatives were stored. But nobody believes them.
The story on the streets are that these government people intended to use the Covid 19 Palliatives for future campaign. They would repackage them and use them as their own. Some would even just leave it there and allow it to rot. Most Nigerians I have spoken to are saying the people in government are wicked.
Even those who earlier didn't support the #EndSARS protest are now awed at the Palliatives they are seeing from state to state being carted away by Nigerians in large ware houses. The looting of these warehouses were done by all, Christians and Muslims, traditionalist and non-believers, men and women, youths and children, boys and girls, and who ever was around, even disabled people were captured on camera carrying bag of rice here and there. The looting was done in unity.
What the state governments would find hard to do now is to convince anyone that they has the intentions of really sharing the Covid 19 Palliatives they stored to the masses.
I don't believe some of these state governments have the intentions of sharing the palliative for the masses. Don't blame me for not believing, this is Nigeria, and this is how these things goes. If they have the intentions of sharing it to the people they would have done it long time ago.
The images of Nigerians being seen busting warehouses to cart away with food on social media is right now the most embarrassing story of this whole #EndSARS protest. In a country where people are so hungry after the Covid 19 lockdown, how can some of these state defend the food hoarding? They simply have no explanation.
Whatever explanations these state governments give on hoarding of these palliatives the people who have made up their minds that politicians want to steal it would not believe them. That's the relationship between the Nigerian government and the Nigerian people.