The Ondo State Government has said it efficiently distributed COVID-19 palliatives to vulnerable groups in the state.

It said what was left in its warehouse when hoodlums attacked it was over 1,000 bags of sugar which the government had planned to give to bakers in the state to lower bread prices.

This was disclosed by the Chairman of Ondo State Palliative Distribution Committee, Akin Olotu, on Thursday in an interview with a TV station.

Speaking on Thursday, the Ondo State Palliative Distribution Committee chairman stressed that what happened in the state was a case of arson and not looting as there were only bags of sugar left in the state warehouse.

Olotu said, “In Ondo State, I am saying it emphatically that there was nothing in the storehouse to be looted apart from sugar and the sugar was relics of what was left behind.

“We have succeeded in distributing to the 18 local governments in the state and the entire 18 local governments have gotten their allocations because we are not to distribute at the state level according to CACOVID distribution protocol.

“We gave palliatives to prostitutes in the state, I mean social workers. We gave to widows, we gave to the old people, and we gave to pregnant women. We were taking it to different houses across the state. We have audio-visual evidence showing us taking palliatives to people in their respective homes.

“Let me made this very clear; what we had in Ondo State was a case of arson, not a case of looting because there was virtually nothing there to be looted.

“What was in the warehouse was sugar. We have given out more than enough to people and you know people are conscious of the effect of taking sugar because of diabetes.

“We gave our sugar massively to people. I wrote to complain that the volume of sugar that was being sent to the state was too much. What we were left behind were just 1000 plus bags. It was not that the quantity was huge. So, we now thought that whom do we give it to?

“Our plan was to give the sugar to the bakers in the state and negotiate a reduction in the price of the bread they will boost into circulation. That was what we had in mind.

“The plan was to get across to CACOVID to seek their permission to do that.”

He added that the hoodlums upon discovering just sugar angrily set the warehouse on fire and attacked a nearby fertiliser store.