Police: How fake info led to protest, death in Ibadan food company

The police command in Oyo state says one person died on Monday in a protest by workers of Sumal Food Company in Ibadan, the state capital.

Workers of the company located at the Oluyole industrial estate in Ibadan were said to have staged a protest to demand a welfare package.

The protest, however, turned violent, leading to the death of an unnamed person.

But Adewale Osifeso, spokesman of the police command, said in a statement on Tuesday that the workers staged the protest to challenge the non-distribution of palliatives allegedly given by the federal government to all private companies across the country.

In August 2023, the federal government announced N5 billion palliative for each state and the federal capital territory (FCT) to cushion the impact of the removal of the petrol subsidy.

In February, President Bola Tinubu directed the release of 42,000 metric tons of assorted food items from the strategic reserve as a short-term response to the rising food shortage in the country.

There is no official record of the federal government giving palliatives to private companies.

Osifeso said the protest was “hijacked by criminal elements” who forced their way into the factory, destroying vehicles and other properties worth millions of naira.

“One person died and 12 suspects were arrested in connection with the violent protest,’’ the statement reads.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that the protest was premised on false information created and peddled by some workers over the disbursement of palliatives to privately-owned companies.”

Osifeso said normalcy has returned to the area following the deployment of police operatives to maintain peace.

He also said Ayodele Sonubi, the state commissioner of police, has ordered the transfer of the matter to the homicide unit of the criminal investigations department for further investigation.