Chaos Erupts as Crowds Loot Empowerment Items at Tinubu-Backed City Boy Rally in Owerri

 

The incident occurred on March 14, 2026, during an empowerment programme and rally organized by the City Boy Movement (CBM), a pro-President Bola Tinubu support group mobilizing for his potential 2027 re-election bid. The event took place at Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu Square in Owerri, the capital of Imo State, southeastern Nigeria.

High-profile figures included Seyi Tinubu (President Tinubu's son and national leader of the movement), Cubana Chief Priest (Imo State coordinator), and Obi Cubana (South-East zonal director). It was framed as part of the "Renewed Hope National Youth Tour," aimed at empowering youths and residents in the Southeast with items like sewing machines, deep freezers, bags of rice, phones, laptops, fertilizers, and even minibuses.

However, the well-intentioned gathering quickly descended into chaos. A large, uncontrolled crowd—far exceeding expectations—surged forward, overwhelming security barriers and disregarding any beneficiary lists. Attendees scrambled, pushed, and looted the empowerment materials in a free-for-all frenzy. Videos circulating online show people grabbing cartons of goods and fleeing the venue, leaving organizers, dignitaries, and genuine participants in disarray. Some reports describe it as beneficiaries "breaking down the arena" to cart away items, while others frame it as "village boys" invading and reclaiming what they saw as theirs amid economic hardship.

Witnesses noted poor crowd control despite heavy security presence, turning what was meant to be an orderly distribution into mayhem. No major injuries were widely reported, but the event caused disappointment and embarrassment for the organizers. Similar crowd issues have occurred at past events in the same venue.

This highlights ongoing challenges with political empowerment programmes in Nigeria: massive turnout driven by poverty and desperation often leads to disorder when distribution lacks structure.