Hoodlums in Benin City, on Saturday, stormed the government warehouse along Medical Store Road in the Uselu, axis of the Edo State capital and looted the COVID-19 palliative items stored in the warehouse.
The mob, which had earlier in the morning, been prevented by military personnel from carrying out the act, succeeded in breaking the human shield mounted by the military and entered the store in their hundreds.
A man allegedly died while attempting to escape from the warehouse with his loot.
The man, it was learnt, allegedly gained access to the COVID-19 palliative warehouse through the back opening created by the looters on the roof at the back of the warehouse.
Having taken his share of the items, it was further gathered that the man had attempted to exit through the same channel but lost his balance and fell headlong, hitting his head on the hard concrete. He died instantly.
The identity of the deceased could not be verified as at the time of filing this report, but a recorded video that went viral also showed that of another lady bleeding profusely, as she was being carried by two men.
The lady had an injury on the back of her neck, though nobody knew how she came about the injury as the narrator did not disclose the source of the wound.
No incident of shooting was recorded as the mob, mostly youth, seized the food items in the warehouse.
It was learnt that the security operatives are currently trying to bring the situation under control.
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator and a recipient of the D9112 Superstar Icon Award, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
