Residents of Calabar, the Cross River capital, on Friday evening, invaded a warehouse believed to stash a large volume of COVID-19 palliatives yet to be distributed to the people of the state.

Peoples Gazette learnt that the excited residents thronged the warehouse located at Clement Ebri Drive, following a tip-off from early arrivals who had successfully carted away some food items.

The Gazette understands that the raw food items were originally meant to be shared among the masses as part of measures by the state government to mitigate the economic effect of the COVID-19 pandemic in the state.
It, however, remains unclear why such volume of palliatives — emblazoned with CACOVID trademark — was hoarded at the warehouse despite the soaring prices of food items in the state.

The development comes 24 hours after some angry residents of Mazamaza community, Oriade Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, made away with food items, after breaking into a warehouse where COVID-19 palliatives were stored.

The Gazette gathered that the CACOVID group, a private sector coalition against COVID-19, had donated food palliative packages to some state governments during the heat of the pandemic.

A similar invasion of a warehouse holding relief materials for the Covid-19 pandemic in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital proved fatal Friday evening, as six people are feared dead after security forces opened fire at the facility.