Residents of Abeokuta, Ogun state’s capital, have taken to the streets to protest the continued scarcity of petrol and naira notes.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) announced plans to redesign the N200, N500, and N1,000 notes in 2022, and asked Nigerians to deposit their old notes before January 31, 2023, when they would no longer be legal tender.
However, with the deadline pushed back to February 10, Nigerians have struggled to obtain the new naira notes.
Concurrently, the price of premium motor spirit (PMS) has steadily increased, resulting in long lines at filling stations across the country.
The currency and fuel crises have sparked numerous protests across the country.
Taofeek, an Abeokuta resident, said the protest began on Tuesday at a Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) branch in the city’s Asero neighborhood.
“It all started at GTBank, Asero, before spreading to the city’s major and strategic locations. It was more like a coordinated or planned protest, he said.
Another resident, Kehinde Emmanuel, said one person was shot and several bank branches were vandalized.
“The protest started in the morning, from Asero down to Itoko. I got to Sapon around 1 pm, and I noticed a bonfire under the bridge there. I saw flames coming from the bridge close to an Access Bank branch in the area,” Emmanuel said.
“They are protesting both petrol and naira notes scarcity. They have destroyed branches of First Bank, and Access Bank in Sapon, while Asero’s branches of Polaris and GTBank have also been destroyed.
“The police are already around and things have been calm. But someone got shot in his arm.”
