February 15, (THEWILL) – At least two persons are feared dead following protests that rocked Benin City, the Edo State capital, on Wednesday.
The protests erupted as the cash crunch occasioned by the new cash policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), worsened with citizens unable to spend their old N200, N500 and N1000 notes.
Residents occupied the Ring Road, Oliha, Uselu Shell, Ekehuan Road, Akpakpava and other parts of Benin City, targeting branches of some commercial banks in the areas.
However, some of the protesters, who were still in possession of the old notes, stormed the CBN office to return the old notes.
While they were waiting to be attended to, a Hilux truck, with some officials, which was trying to make its way into the bank premises, was prevented from gaining access to the bank by the residents.
The situation turned violent as some of the residents attacked the vehicle while the police at the entrance of the bank calmed the situation.
To restore peace and order in the metropolis, policemen and members of the Edo State Security network were dispatched to dismantle the roadblocks set up by angry residents in a different part of the city.
As at the time of filing this report, two persons had been reported killed by gunshot wounds.
