2 protesters gunned down in Abeokuta, Ondo too boils

Protests have broken out in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State, in response to the hardship occasioned by petrol scarcity and lack of access to the redesigned naira notes.

Pockets of crowds gathered at different corners of the Sapon area on Tuesday, singing songs of displeasure as they besieged the Sapon branch of Access Bank and First Bank to obtain the scarce new notes.

Witnesses say the gatherings were largely peaceful until the arrival of police officers who shot two protesters dead and caused injuries to several others.

“It was a protest although it did not start as one. When we gathered and the bank said they are not attending to anyone, people stood outside the premises and were complaining,” a witness who pleaded anonymity said.

“As the crowds increased people began to sing songs and the word spread that people are protesting. Before we knew it police came and were shooting sporadically,” the witness further said.

It was learnt that the Access Bank building has now been set on fire by protesting youths in response to the police provocation.
Videos seen also show that the premises of the First Bank branch in the area has been vandalised.

In Ondo, despite the warning by the police, some residents of the State staged a protest to express their grievances over the scarcity of fuel and the new naira notes.

The protesters, who grounded the busy Ore/Benin expressway, also prevented vehicular and human movement on the routes.

Many motorists and commuters were forced to use alternative roads.

One of the protesters, said that the recent hardship ravaging the country, especially the scarcity of petrol, forced them to troop the streets.

“This protest is a signal to the government that the masses are suffering. No fuel. No naira notes. We are experiencing a queue to get everything. It’s becoming unbearable for us,” Mr. Ogunyemi said.

The police had asked residents in the state not to embark on any protest on the streets to demonstrate the lingering fuel scarcity and hoarding of the new naira notes by commercial banks.

Mr. Oyeyemi Oyediran, the Ondo Commissioner of Police, who gave the warning at a stakeholders’ meeting on Monday, had said any action or inaction of the protesters could lead to a breach of peace in the state.

Mr Oyediran noted that the Command was aware of a plan by some angry residents most especially the youths in the state to embark on a protest as a way of showcasing their grievances towards the nationwide fuel scarcity.

There is a nationwide outrage over scarcity of the naira notes and unavailability of fuel.

Mr. Oyeyemi Oyediran, the Ondo Commissioner of Police, who gave the warning at a stakeholders’ meeting on Monday, had said any action or inaction of the protesters could lead to a breach of peace in the state.

Mr Oyediran noted that the Command was aware of a plan by some angry residents most especially the youths in the state to embark on a protest as a way of showcasing their grievances towards the nationwide fuel scarcity.

There is a nationwide outrage over scarcity of the naira notes and unavailability of fuel.

Despite the warning by the police, some residents of Ondo State are currently staging a protest to express their grievances over the scarcity of fuel and the new naira notes.

The protesters, who have already grounded the busy Ore/Benin expressway, also prevented vehicular and human movement on the routes.

The police had asked residents in the state not to embark on any protest on the streets to demonstrate the lingering fuel scarcity and hoarding of the new naira notes by commercial banks.

Mr. Oyeyemi Oyediran, the Ondo Commissioner of Police, who gave the warning at a stakeholders’ meeting on Monday, had said any action or inaction of the protesters could lead to a breach of peace in the state.

Mr Oyediran noted that the Command was aware of a plan by some angry residents most especially the youths in the state to embark on a protest as a way of showcasing their grievances towards the nationwide fuel scarcity.

There is a nationwide outrage over scarcity of the naira notes and unavailability of fuel.