Osagie Imasogie
The All Progressives Congress(APC) in Edo State has accused the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) of stealing Federal Government food palliatives, which is a blantant lie from the pit of hell.
It will be recalled that a viral video has been in circulation showing some persons looting 10kg bags of rice from a truck during the ongoing End Bad Governance protests in Edo State.
The Chairman of CAN, Edo State Chapter, Apostle Dr. Irekpono Omoike, disclosed that the rice being scrambled for in the video was meant for distribution by a vendor contracted by the Edo State CAN Implementation Committee for its Christian Feeding Programme wholly sponsored by the state government and that it had nothing to do with the Federal Government.
However, the All Progressives Congress(APC) chapter in Edo State dismissed the position of the CAN Chairman and insisted that the rice in question were from the stock provided by the Federal Government which CAN had connived with the State Government to steal and stash them away instead of distributing them to Edo people.
While addressing newsmen at press conference which held at the Chancellery of the Catholic Archdiocese of Benin, in Benin City, CAN Chairman Apostle Irekpono Omoike had clarified that the bags of rice were from the second phase of the State Government sponsored Christian Feeding Programme adding that in the first phase which commenced in May 2024, 60,000 bags of rice were shared across the 3 senatorial districts of the State with Edo South getting 27,000 bags, Edo North got 18,000 bags while Edo Central got 15,000 bags.
The rice he added was from the second batch of the programme.
Offering further details, the Secretary of the CAN Implementation Committee for the Christian Feeding Programme, Revd. Osagie Ehrunmwunse stated that the vandalised truck belonged to a logistics Company that was contracted to bring the rice from Ekpoma but broke down on the road leading to a delay so they directed that the rice be taken for safekeeping before it was intercepted by the hoodlums.
Meanwhile the protests in Edo State have been relatively peaceful with thousands of protesters converging at Ring Road Roundabout Benin City daily bearing placards with inscriptions like “Tinubu reduce the hunger”, “APC stop suffering us” “Say No To High Fuel Price”. They were joined in by the State Commissioner of Police, Funsho Adegboye who urged them to remain peaceful and law abiding during the protests.
