By More protests broke out in Lagos, Ogun, Rivers, Ondo and Oyo states over the crises trailing the naira redesign policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria and the attendant scarcity of the currency.
The protests resulted in the blocking of major roads by youths who made bonfires and in some cases attacked motorists. The situation, on Friday, led to the hurried closure of business premises, schools and markets as travelers and residents ran helter-skelter.
In Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, the protest took a dangerous turn as hoodlums destroyed some commercial banks.
The affected institutions are First Bank in Churchill and Keystone Bank along Aggrey Road, both in the old Port Harcourt township area.
Angry youths had barricaded Aggrey Road, Ikokwu, Okija Street, Mile 3, Gambia Street and the Station Road of the city.
The youth, who were protesting the non-availability of the new naira notes, set fire on the road, while commercial transporters and Point of Sale (POS) operators were chased out from the streets.
In Ogun, many motorists and passengers were stranded on the Lagos-Abeokuta expressway as protesters converted the every-busy road to a football pitch.
Angry protesters blocked the Sango-Ota, Ifo, Papa and Itori highways on the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway over the refusal of petrol stations to collect the old N500 and N1,000 notes.
Also, protesters yesterday occupied Iwo Road in Ibadan, Oyo State, over the scarcity of the new naira notes and rejection of the old N1,000 and N500 denominations.
In Lagos, the protests started at Ojota/Mile 12 area of Lagos State as a result of lingering cash crunch escalated to Ikorodu, Iyana-Ipaja, Epe, Ketu, Agege, Idimu and Egbeda areas of Lagos State with hoodlums blocking the roads, creating bornfires and vandalising properties.
Meanwhile, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has expressed concern over protests in parts of the state, said to have triggered by the naira redesign policy.
The governor, in a statement, however, appealed to the protesters, saying there was no need for violence as the Supreme Court was on top of the matter.
