Amidst the stinging hardship occasioned by the
present economic recession in the country, the
spate of insecurity is rising and taking a tinge of
the ridiculous by the day.
present economic recession in the country, the
spate of insecurity is rising and taking a tinge of
the ridiculous by the day.
In Kwara State, cooking a pot of soup is now an
invitation to robbers, as cases of eagle-eyed hungry
men absconding with cooked food still on the fire
is now a daily occurrence.
The incident is widespread in areas without
perimeter fencing and among women who cook or
have opted to cook with coal pots. At each of such
areas such as Tanke, Basin, Sango, Offa Garage,
and Kilanko, the incident according to The Guardian
investigations occurred over five times in just a
week.
According to Alhaja Hamidalat Olawale at Sango, “I
was cooking around 5.00p.m. in readiness for the
breaking of the fast for the day. It was beans and I
decided to use coal pot at the open backyard. I
had added all the food condiments and was
waiting for the broth to dry up. But to my greatest
surprise, I did not see the pot of the beans again.
“I was shocked discovering this. What amazed me
was that the thief did not come for it before it was
ready; he or she came when the food was ready
and we were already salivating, meaning the
person must have been closely monitoring me.”
Another victim, an undergraduate of the University of
Ilorin, Anita Bazuaye, said it was her pot of soup
that disappeared beside her window.
“It was painful because as a student, it was
difficult for me to get money again for another
soup. In fact, when I managed to start cooking
again, I did not leave the place until I had securely
packed the pot inside my room.”
Reacting to the development, the Police
spokesman, Ajayi Okasanmi (ASP), said no formal
report to that effect had come to him or anyone
within the state command, but warned that “it is a
serious matter and we will not take it lightly with
anyone caught in the act. The Penal Code frowns at
theft and we will treat anyone in the act
accordingly.”
A former chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress
(NLC) in the state, Emmanuel Ayeoribe, said the
development could not be divorced from the non-
payment of workers’ salaries.
“If nothing is urgently done to commence regular
payment of salaries, very soon, people will start
leaping over the fence to steal food, not just from
unfenced quarters,” he warned.
