Tensions flared in Gombe State as a group of youths looted Ramadan palliatives reportedly sent by Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for distribution to the less privileged.
Seyi Tinubu has been touring northern states during Ramadan, joining residents and political leaders for Iftar while launching feeding programs. However, his initiative has sparked mixed reactions online, with some praising the effort and others criticizing it as inadequate.
Shamsuddeen Bala Mohammed, son of Bauchi State Governor, publicly questioned the gesture, urging Seyi to focus on sustainable empowerment instead of distributing food items. “Teach our youths how to fish rather than feed them for one day. They are not beggars,” he wrote on Facebook.
Before Seyi’s scheduled visit, palliative items—including rice, sugar, oil, salt, and pasta—were sent to Gombe. According to reports, two trucks carrying 3,500 cartons of supplies were allocated to the state. While one truck’s contents were distributed, the second was intercepted by disgruntled youths who emptied it, throwing cartons into the crowd.
Videos circulating online show youths scrambling for the items, suggesting possible dissatisfaction over how the distribution was handled. Speculation is rife that those excluded from the earlier distribution at the APC Secretariat may have orchestrated the looting.
Meanwhile, Seyi’s northern outreach, branded as a Ramadan charity and Renewed Hope Youth Engagement initiative, is seen by some as a strategic political move to bolster his father’s influence in the region, where resistance to his re-election bid is emerging.
The APC has yet to comment on the incident.
