Hundreds of protesters on Friday stormed the Oyo State Government Secretariat, Agodi Ibadan, injuring a police officer attached to the Governor’s office.
Angrily, protesters took to the streets of Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, expressing frustration over the scarcity of naira notes and premium motor spirits (PMS), popularly known as petrol.
Earlier, the secretariat gate was locked on the information that pockets of protests had rocked different parts of the capital city.
The protesters, who came with sticks, wood, broken bottles and other dangerous weapons, forced the two main gates of the secretariat open, making the security operatives on the ground take cover.
With many workers and people within the Secretariat scraping for safety, the protesters headed straight to the Governor’s office, attempting to force the gate open.
The resistance by the officers on duty who fired blank shots into the air made the protesters resolve to throw stones and other dangerous weapons into the governor’s office.
The officer had earlier attempted to persuade the protesters, preaching calmness, but was shocked to receive a rain of stones, which led to his profuse bleeding.
The protesters were said to have taken to destroying property at sight.
Three suspects were arrested.
The cause of the protests could not be ascertained at the time of filing this report.
The swift intervention and backup from the men of Operation Burst and the Police Team saved the situation, which would have degenerated into a major crisis.
This protest has now spread to major areas of the ancient city, including the Agodi Secretariat, Iwo Road, Idi Ape, and Bodija.
The protests started on a small scale on Monday without threatening businesses or other residents. However, it took a new dimension on Friday when the youth and traders began burning tyres and barricading roads.
As of the time of filing this report Friday afternoon, no violence had been reported, but businesses in many areas had closed shops.
People across Nigeria have been groaning over the unavailability of petrol for many weeks. The difficulties are compounded by the scarcity of new naira notes as the 10 February deadline for the end of the old notes as a legal tender approaches.
Meanwhile, state governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) met with President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa in Abuja on Friday about the currency redesign crisis.
According to a statement issued by his spokesperson, Garba Shehu, at the end of the meeting, the president asked for seven days to review the situation.
