Two shot dead as violent protests rock Ibadan, Warri and Benin over naira notes

By Sodiq Adelakun

Two persons have been confirmed dead in massive protests on Wednesday which disrupted the flow of daily activities in three major cities; Ibadan in Oyo State, Warri in Delta State, and Benin in Edo state over scarcity of new naira notes and petrol.

Hundreds took to the streets of the three cities to express their anger over difficulties in getting petrol and the redesigned Naira notes.

In Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State protesters took to the streets in highly populated areas like Gbopa, Ologuneru, Apete, Sango, Poly road, Mokola and Iwo Road.

Transporters led the protests around the Eleyele/Ologuneru axis of the capital city.

The transporters said they were out in protest over the non-availability of cash, as well as, the rejection of the old N200, N500 and N1,000 notes by passengers and some fueling stations.

Commuters were stranded as protesters blocked the ever-busy Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

In a trending video on social media, market women were seen rolling on the floor, wailing over the effect of the cash crunch on their businesses in Warri.

They appealed to the Federal Government and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to reconsider the policy.

However, in Benin, at least two persons were reportedly shot dead during protests over Naira and fuel scarcity.

The protests turned bloody after security operatives reportedly opened fire on protesters, killing at least two on the spot.

One of the deceased protester was shot at central part in Ring Road, while the other was shot at New Benin area of the state.