Following the naira crunch protest, commercial banks as well as Point of Service (POS) agents in Edo state on Thursday shutdown operations across the state due to attacks on their facilities.
Angry residents had taken to the streets to protest the inability to make withdrawal and in the process destroyed bank facilities, including Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) and staff’s vehicles.
Four persons were said to have lost their lives during the protest.
The attacked banks include United Bank or Africa, Unity Bank, Polaris Bank, Access Bank, Zenith Bank, First Bank and some microfinance banks.
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PoS agents were not spared as their stands were destroyed within the Benin metropolis.
Our reporter who visited some of the banks along Akpakpava road, Sakpoba road and New Benin axis observed that the banks were not open to customers.
In most of the banks visited, only security guards were seen manning the gates while few staff were seen standing on the premises.
A bank customer who was seen standing at the Access Bank, told our reporter that she was at the bank to see if it was open to customers.
“With the level of destruction, I have seen now, I doubt if banks would open this week. I don’t have money on me now, I came here to see if I could withdraw money,” he said.
Daily Trust could not get response from the banks as officials declined comments.
Meanwhile, security agents comprising police, men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and soldiers had taken over the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) office and its adjoining roads.
The Akpakpava road leading to the CBN office was barricaded while people and vehicles were not allowed to access the road.
Police also did show of force across the major streets within the Benin metropolis.
The CBN Benin branch controller, Renner Jumbo, said the banks might not open till Monday following the attacks on their facilities.
