Two Die As Riots Erupt In Benin, Delta, Ibadan, Osogbo, Over Scarcity Of New Naira Note, Rejection Of Old Notes

By Akinwale Kasali

Riot has erupted in some parts of the country following the scarcity of the New Naira Notes and the rejection of the old notes.

This has led to wanton destruction of properties of Banks and National Assets.  There are reported fatalities.

Benin City, the Capital of Edo State was shut down by Irate Youths who went berserk destroying properties over lthe non-availability of new Naira notes and the rejection of old ones while Banking Apps and Bank Codes also known as USSD for mobile banking are not working efficiently.

The irate Youths staged a protest by attacking the Benin branch of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, but met a resilient combined team of policemen, Nigerian Security and Nigeria Civil Defence and Safety Corps, NSCDC,  who shot at the protesters, and left two dead.

This Youths went beeserk over the death of the two people, and  attacked virtually all the banks along the Akpkakpkava and destroyed  their Automated Teller Machines, ATM, points and buildings.

Some of the banks affected are Sterling Bank, UBA, GTB, Access, Zenith, Stanbic IBTC and others.

Irate youths in Delta State on Wednesday set ablaze two commercial banks in protest against the continued scarcity of the new Naira notes coupled with their rejection of the old notes.

The affected banks located in the Orovwohworun area of Udu, Delta State included the First Bank of Nigeria and an Access Bank branch in the locality.

The protesters comprised mainly tricycle and motorcycle operators who were angered by the commercial banks’ refusal to accept the old 200, 500, and 1000 naira notes.

Eyewitnesses said that trouble started in the early hours of the day when customers of the banks, in their long queues, could not access new notes.

It was gathered that the aggrieved youths who complained bitterly about the biting effects of the currency scarcity, coupled with the attitude of the bank officials, first attacked their ATM outlets before putting fire to the banks.

One of the protesters who would not disclose his identity said, “We are hungry and we are in a cash dilemma. No new Naira notes and they are rejecting the old ones. People cannot eat, do business, we are hungry and people are dying and they are still saying politics”.

Also, a fuel station in the area was torched for rejecting the old notes from residents.

The angry protesters blocked a section of the road before setting fire to the ATMs in the banks

In Ibadan, Oyo State, it was the same scenario as the angry youths took to the highway blocking the roads, destroying Banks.

In Osogbo, Osun State Capital, angry Youths staged a protest over the same situation halting business in most of the Banking Halls around Osogbo axis.