Kebbi State government has inaugurated a 13-member panel tasked with probing the incidents of theft and devising strategies to prevent their recurrence.
Chaired by the Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Alhaji Shehu Mu’azu, the committee has been given a five-day mandate to conduct a thorough investigation into the looting, which saw foodstuffs being unlawfully taken by hoodlums from the government warehouse in Birnin Kebbi.
The decision to set up the committee was made during a State Executive Council meeting chaired by the Deputy Governor, Alhaji Umar Abubakar-Tafida in Benin Kebbi on Monday.
The council also approved a substantial subsidy of N3.34 billion to alleviate the financial burden on 3,344 Muslims embarking on the Hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.
This subsidy, amounting to N1 million per pilgrim, was initiated to offset the increased Hajj fare, attributed to fluctuating naira-dollar exchange rates.
Commissioner for Information and Culture, Alhaji Yakubu Ahmad, stated that this gesture underlined Governor Nasir Idris’s commitment to upholding religious values and fostering societal harmony.
“Out of about N2m requested by NAHCON as additional fares, the Kebbi government has offset N1m for each pilgrim while the remaining balance should be paid by individual pilgrims to complete payment.
“Pilgrims who have completed payment of the fares would also enjoy the N1m magnanimity from the government.” he said.
Addressing concerns over the looting incidents, Ahmad pointed out the establishment of the investigative committee, which aims to identify the root causes of the looting, apprehend the perpetrators, and propose preventive measures.
Mu’azu disclosed that a significant portion of the looted rice belonged to Birnin Kebbi Local Government and formed part of the palliative measures distributed by the state government across the 21 local government areas.
Despite the setback, Mu’azu commended the efforts of security personnel who managed to recover over 2,000 bags of grains, mitigating the losses incurred during the looting spree.
With a tight deadline set for Friday, the committee is expected to deliver comprehensive findings and recommendations to forestall future occurrences, ensuring the security and stability of food distribution systems in Kebbi State.
“The members of the committee have been given a five-day time frame between now and Friday to investigate the remote causes of the incident, identify persons or groups involved and advise the government appropriately to guard against a repeat,” the commissioner said.
Kebbi govt constitutes 13-man panel to investigate warehouse looting
