Osun Residents Loot Warehouse After Cheap Food Scam

Residents of Osogbo, Osun State, on Tuesday looted a warehouse operated by the Global Food Initiative after the operators of a cheap food scheme allegedly disappeared, leaving customers stranded.

The incident occurred at the organisation’s office in the Odi-Olowo area of the state capital, where several residents had gathered to demand food items they had paid for in advance.

The scheme reportedly attracted customers by offering food items, including rice, cooking oil, noodles and other household essentials, at prices significantly below prevailing market rates. Customers were required to make advance payments and return about a week later to collect their purchases.

One of the affected residents, identified as Mistura, said she paid ₦300,000 for 11 bags of rice at ₦27,000 per bag. She said the same quantity would have cost her approximately ₦605,000 at the prevailing market price of ₦55,000 per bag.

Another customer, Olamide, reportedly paid ₦1.2 million for various food items intended for her stepdaughter’s wedding ceremony. Other customers also claimed to have deposited substantial sums, with some reportedly paying millions of naira.

Tension began on Monday when customers who returned to collect their orders found the premises closed and the operators absent. The crowd returned on Tuesday, hoping the operators would resume business or provide an explanation.

Despite appeals by the building’s owner for residents to remain calm while security personnel worked to identify the operators and explore ways to recover the money, tensions continued to rise.

At about 4pm on Tuesday, some people reportedly forced their way into the warehouse and carted away food items, including bags of rice, noodles and groundnut oil.

The Osun State Police Command had earlier deployed officers to the premises to prevent a breakdown of law and order. Police spokesperson Abiodun Ojelabi said the command was monitoring the situation and awaiting detailed reports from affected customers.

The whereabouts of the scheme’s operators and the circumstances surrounding their disappearance remained unclear at the time of reporting. The incident has left affected residents facing uncertainty over the recovery of their payments and raised concerns about advance-payment schemes offering unusually low food prices.