The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has rebutted circulating claims from certain groups alleging the ransacking of its warehouse in Abuja by hoodlums on Sunday, March 3, 2024.
Manzo Ezekiel, the spokesperson for NEMA, clarified in a statement that the warehouse subjected to looting does not pertain to the agency. Nonetheless, he conveyed sympathy towards the owners of the targeted facility.
NEMA affirmed its commitment to fortify security measures across its facilities nationwide to avert any potential security breaches.
“The attention of the National Emergency Management Agency has been drawn to media reports on Sunday alleging that the Agency’s warehouse was looted by some hoodlums in Abuja. This is to clarify that the looted warehouse does not belong to NEMA. However, the Agency sympathizes with owners of the looted facility. To forestall any security breach at NEMA facilities, the Director General Mustapha Habib Ahmed has directed Zonal Directors and Heads of Operations to strengthen security in and around the Agency’s offices and warehouses nationwide,” the statement reads.
Background: Earlier reports detailed the raid and looting of a warehouse in the Karimo, Phase 3 Region of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) area of Abuja by residents on Sunday morning. This incident occurred amidst ongoing protests in various parts of the country over the prevailing economic challenges, with dozens of Abuja residents observed forcibly taking away foodstuffs and other items from the warehouse.
Meanwhile, NEMA’s spokesperson has refuted assertions in the media that the warehouse in question belongs to the agency.