Mob sets ablaze 2 banks as protests rock Ogun

Some yet-to-be-identified mob, on Monday, February. 20, 2023, set ablaze two banks, as they protested the lingering cash crunch in the country.

The financial institutions touched were -Keystone and Union banks.

All hell broke loose in the early hours of the day, as many banks in the Sagamu area refused to operate with Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) not dispensing cash since last week.

Having burnt the banks, the protesters, who had planks in their hands, barricaded the Sagamu-Benin expressway, preventing human and vehicular movements.

Reacting to the development, the Akarigbo of Remo, Oba Babatunde Ajayi sued for calm.

In a statement cited by this writer, the monarch condemned the destructions, as he promised that banks would accept the old naira notes.

“I appeal to all to remain calm and peaceful as we continue to engage the Federal Government.

“This policy is not from the state or local government. Therefore, the destruction of lives and properties will only compound an already bad situation.

“Further, I am also mandating all our market people to continue to accept the old notes. I hereby undertake that no one will lose out for possessing the old notes,” the statement read.

This incident, however, followed previous protests that led to violence in the state.

Last week, a protest erupted in the Mowe-Ibafo area of Ogun State, with many residents blocking the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in protest of the woes and hardship caused by the lingering scarcity of the naira.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) arrested 15 persons over the alleged vandalisation of banks in Oron Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.

According to the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, SP Odiko MacDon, the suspects were nabbed in connection to the violence on banks in Akwa Ibom.