Naira scarcity riot spreads across Lagos

There is tension in some parts of Lagos over scarcity of naira as a result of the redesign policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The state has been relatively calm in wake of protests over the naira redesign policy across the nation.

But on Friday, a riot broke out in Mile 12 area of the state. Mile 12 is a popular international foodstuff market along Ikorodu Road.

Eyewitness account said there was shooting as many civil servants and those going outside Ikorodu had to make a U-turn for fear of being hit.

“Government buses conveying civil servants all turned and returned to Ikorodu? Itowolo is also not safe. Agric, Ikorodu was (sic) unrest a couple of minutes ago. But it looks calm now from where I stand,” said an eyewitness who wrote on twitter via the LagosTrafficReports.

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The riot has spread to Ketu and Ojota, also along the Ikorodu Road, but soldiers were said to have been mobilised to quell the unrest.

“There are soldiers everywhere at Ojota. People are just running and we don’t know what is happening,” another source said.

Sources said the riot was in connection with the lingering naira scarcity which had affected businesses and crippled many Nigerians.

“There has been a report of sporadic shooting in Mile 12, with hoodlums setting bonfire on the major road due to naira scarcity.@PoliceNG and @HQNigerianArmy presently on ground to restore normalcy,” also twitted another source.

The police spokesperson in Lagos, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, said free movement of vehicles and people had been fully restored.

“Our officers and men are still on ground to prevent any breakdown of law and order,” he added.

He, however, said he could not immediately confirm if the unrest stemmed from the cash crunch and promised to get back to our correspondent with details.

Hours after normalcy was restored in Mile 12, violence erupted in Igando, a suburb of Lagos.

Youth in large numbers took over the streets, chanting anti-government songs.

They also blocked the roads and lit bonfires, making commuters trapped.

There are also unconfirmed reports that some banks have been attacked in Epe Local Government Area of the state.

President Muhammadu Buhari had sued for calm over the agitations which trailed the naira redesign policy.

In a national broadcast, he had expressed sympathy with Nigeria and directed CBN to recirculate old N200 notes till April 10, but many, including some governors, rejected this, saying it was in contempt of the supreme court.