WOMAN IN SHOCK AS HER POT OF RICE DISAPPEARS FROM THE FIRE

On Sunday, a woman whose name is Agnes, lives in Abakiliki, in Ebonyi state has been left confused and indecisive by a recent event in her home, when she lost the pot of rice she was cooking to thieves.

According to Vanguard, some pressmen who visited Agnes’ residence behind Nnodo Secondary School, Amike-Aba on Monday report that she was still in shock over the incident.

It took repeated appeals by the pressmen to make Agnes talk, as she maintained that her husband had barred her from speaking further on the issue to avoid negative attention to the family.
She said;

I came back from a village-meeting late on Sunday and put the rice on fire so that my family could have their dinner and eat the remnant on Monday morning. This apartment, as you can see, has no kitchen so we cook in the space in front of the house, likewise other occupants of the building.

Agnes said that as she went inside her room to fetch some condiments, she was delayed by the attention she had to give to her crying child.
She said;

I gave attention to my child who was crying and by the time I came out to continue cooking, the pot of rice had vanished, with the stove still rekindled. After I recovered from the shock, I started screaming which attracted my husband, family members and neighbours who were all as stupefied as I. When it was established that no occupant of the building took the pot, it dawned on us that the act was perpetrated by a thief who exploited the vulnerability of the improvised kitchen.

The woman declined further comments but her neigbour, Justin Mbam-Egbe, noted that the situation had re-awakened security consciousness among the occupants of the house.
He said;

This is the first theft case we are experiencing and we will henceforth be security conscious to avert future occurrences.

A private security consultant in Abakaliki, Dr John Odikwa, blamed such incident on the current economic recession in the country.
He said;

The country has degenerated to a level that people now steal pots of rice and soup and with the yuletide approaching, the society should be ready for serious security challenges. The Federal Government should take immediate measures to alleviate the sufferings of the people to prevent total breakdown of law and order.

The Public Relations Officer of the Ebonyi police command, Mr George Okafor, described the incident as funny and noted that it had not been reported to the command.
He said;