On Wednesday, protesting customers in the states of Edo and Delta set fire to banks and destroyed ATMs, bringing the cash crisis caused by the Central Bank of Nigeria’s currency redesign policy to a head.
Three people were killed and numerous others were injured in the riot, which also paralyzed social and economic activities in the two states.
Residents of Oyo, Ondo, Benue, and Kwara states also participated in the protests as they vented their frustration with the lack of cash, which had made life unbearable for many Nigerians.
Around 8 a.m., bank customers stormed the state CBN branch at 9, Akpapakva Road in Benin, the capital of Edo State, to deposit their old naira notes.
As they waited at the gate for the officials to take care of them, the findings indicated that the people were calm.
However, at approximately 10 o’clock in the morning, a Hilux van carrying officials made an attempt to enter the building, but the people stopped it in the misperception that it was carrying new naira notes.
The office security guards begged the people to let the car into the building, but they were adamant and tried to break into the building.
The agitated bank customers threw rocks and sticks at the vehicle, and the police erroneously shot and killed a male customer in an effort to disperse the protesters.
Our correspondent also saw two corpses at 11.45 a.m., one in Uselu and one in Upper Sakponba, but the circumstances of their deaths were unclear.
However, the development sparked a full-scale protest that targeted nearly every bank on the Akpkakpkava Road.
Additionally, they stormed the Sterling Bank, UBA, GTB, Access, Zenith, Stanbic IBTC, and other financial institutions, hurling stones at their ATMs and buildings.
Later, the rioters took control of the Ring Road and began throwing stones at anything they could see.
At Upper Sakponba, banks were attacked. They destroyed part of the UBA as employees fled the building.
Additionally, motorists and a police team were prevented from entering the Upper Sakponba area, as was the Third Junction.
To prevent a jailbreak, soldiers and police were quickly sent to the crisis areas and the custodial center to restore peace and order in the city.
In addition, vigilantes and members of the Edo State Security Network paraded down the street to demolish the protesters’ roadblocks in various parts of the city.
Youths in Warri, Delta State, destroyed several vehicles parked in front of First Bank Plc, Access Bank, and Union Bank branches in the Orovwohworun area of the Udu in protest of the rejection of the old naira notes.
The location of the attack in Warri Beginning at nine in the morning, bank customers began to arrive in the area, which quickly became crowded.
However, after waiting for some time without being attended to by bank employees, they became agitated.
They set fire to cars parked in front of the banks when they lost control.
Protesters destroyed at least four vehicles in and around Udu’s Ovwian and Udu Express Junction areas.
The PUNCH learned that the protesters, mostly motorcycle and tricycle business owners, also attacked the ATMs before setting fire to the banking halls.
Before torching Access Bank and other banks, the crowd blocked a portion of the road.
“We are in a cash dilemma and we are hungry,” said one protester who did not reveal his identity. They are rejecting the old Naira notes, but there are no new ones. We can’t eat, we can’t do business, we’re hungry, people are dying, and they still talk politics.
In addition, the rejection of the previous notes led to the burning of a nearby fuel station.
Heavy gunfire from soldiers and policemen sent to protect banks in Udu, Effurun, and Warri created tension.
As of the time this report was written, Bright Edafe, the Delta State Command’s Police Public Relations Officer, was unavailable for comment regarding the incident.