LIVE UPDATES: Police Take Over Roads as Protests Erupt in Lagos, Spread to Ogun over Naira Notes Scarcity
Lagos, Nigeria's commercial capital, is in distress as protest erupts in the early hours of Friday, February 17, over the Naira notes scarcity.
The development comes a day after President Muhammadu Buhari announced that the old N500 and N1000 notes longer remain legal tender.
Source: Getty Images
Stay tuned as Legit.ng brings verified live updates of the protest in different parts of Lagos on Friday.
RRS operatives storm Ibafo
RRS operatives led by Commander, CSP Yinka Egbeyemi, are in Ibafo on intelligence that hoodlums blocked the Lagos - Ibadan Expressway which created extended traffic to Otedola Bridge.
The operatives are clearing the debris of burnt tyres left by the hoodlums.
RRS Police storm Agege
Operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RSS), a detachment of the Lagos State Police Command, have also stormed Agege to restore normalcy, according to Jubril Gawat, a media aide to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
Lagos police commissioner arrives Mile 12
The commissioner of police in Lagos state, Idowu Owohunwa, has arrived at Mile 12 to have an on-the-spot assessment of the situation.
SP Benjamin Hundeyin, the command's spokesman, said the police chief has also visited other parts of the state.
‘Trouble makers will surely be dealt with while law abiding citizens will be protected.," CP Idowu Owohunwa was quoted as saying.
Hoodlums ‘attack’ banks in Lagos
The situation appears to be getting worse as hoodlums, taking advantage of the cash scarcity crisis, are said to have unleashed violent attacks on some commercial banks in the Epe area of Lagos, according to The Nation.
The newspaper cited multiple sources as claiming that the banks including Zenith, Key Stone, First Bank and United Bank for Africa (UBA) have temporarily suspended operations in Epe as a result of the attack.
One of the sources said the attack was as a result of the inability of the masses to access cash from the affected banks.
However, police spokesman SP Benjamin Hundeyin said the information at his disposal indicated that it was one bank that was being attacked.
He added that security operatives were already on ground to handle the situation.
Riot spreads to Ogun communities as naira woes worsen
Riots over the lingering new naira policy and fuel scarcity have spread to Ogun communities, according to The Punch.
It was gathered that the protesters barricaded the Mowe end of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and turned back motorists and travellers.
The protesters resisted police intervention and threatened to set the police station in the area ablaze.
Some residents of Ibafo in the Obafemi Owode area of Ogun State have also blocked the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway at the Ibafo bus stop to protest the scarcity of the new Naira notes, according to TVC News.
Naira scarcity: Security operatives quell Lagos protests
Meanwhile, a report by The Nation also confirmed that security operatives, comprising riot policemen and soldiers from Operation MESA, have been deployed to Mile 12- Ojota axis where hoodlums staged a violent uprising over the cash scarcity.
Naira notes crisis: Market women reportedly stage anti-Buhari protest
The protest has spread to the Sango area of Ogun state. Sango is one of the communities linking Lagos and Ogun states.
According to Leadership, market women staged an anti-Buhari protest over the rejection of the old N1,000 notes and the scarcity of new Naira notes in the Sango area of Ogun state, on Friday morning.
Naira scarcity: Protest rocks Sabo roundabout, Ikorodu, Lagos
The protest, according to Vanguard, has spread to Sabo roundabout, Ikorodu.
Lagos police command gives update
Speaking on TVC News's Your View monitored by Legit.ng, Lagos police spokesman Hundeyin said the cause of the protest is yet to be ascertained.
He, however, noted that there have been "rumours" that the unrests have to do with the Naira notes scarcity crisis.
Hundeyin said no casualty has been recorded, adding that normalcy has been restored.
The police spokesman also said no arrest has been made.
Naira notes scarcity: Protest spreads to Agege, Iyana-Ipaja
A report emerging from Vanguard indicates that the Naira scarcity protest has spread to other areas in Lagos, including Iyana-Ipaja, Agege and Iyana-Iba.
Motorists and residents who were on their way to different places of work hurriedly turned back in panic as the rioters went berserk with bonfires set across the road.
Lagos Police command confirms development in Mile 12
Reacting to a Twitter user, the spokesman of the Lagos police command, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, said it is true that there has been unrest in Ketu/Mile 12.
"It is true. Our men are there. Reinforcement units have been deployed. Stay safe out there as we closely monitor and manage the situation," he said.
Rejection of old Naira notes reportedly cause protest in Ketu/Mile 12 areas of Lagos
A violent protest has erupted in the Ketu/ Mile 12 areas of Lagos state causing serious traffic along the Ikorodu expressway.
The protesters blocked the expressway with bonfires while many vehicles were reportedly vandalised in the process.
According to Nigerian Tribune, the protest started following the rejection of the old notes of N1000 and N500 by traders in the area.
The protesters stormed Mile-12, Ketu, Ojota area, along Ikorodu Road.
The newspaper, however, noted that some military men timely intervened and prevented the situation from degenerating into loss of lives.
