RIOT ESCALATES AS STRAY BULLETS Kill NURSING MOTHER
The riot over the scarcity of new notes in Benin City has escalated to different parts of Benin City, following the killing of a nursing mother by a stray bullet alleged to have been fired by one of the security officers attached to the Central Bank of Nigeria in the scene of a riot
The nursing mother who is yet to be identified was said to have been heading for a transaction at Access bank when the stray bullet hit her along Apkakpava road.
The development which allegedly brought to four the casualty figure further erupted a crisis in different of Benin parts including New Benin, Sapele road Sokponba, Super Sakponba and parts of Wire road axis
Trader and market women in the affected areas were said to have shot down their businesses and joined the riot
Edo state police image maker, Chidi Nwanbuzo again confirmed the development, saying that the command would speak on the matter later
Correspondent Charity Ozigbo-Esere reports that there is yet to be a heavy security presence in newly affected areas
: BENIN PROTEST FOUR WERE FEARED KILLED, AND MANY WERE INJURED AS A BLOODY PROTEST SHOT DOWN BENIN.
One person was feared killed and several others sustained injuries of different degrees in a bloody protest by irate youths and market women in Benin City, Edo state capital, over the scarcity of new naira notes.
The bloody protest paralyzed commercial and vehicular activities including pedestrian movement for several hours
The ever busy kings square which leads to barely all results in the Benin metropolis was blocked by angry protesters mainly youths and market women chanting anti-government songs.
Problems started when traders and market women besieged the Central Bank of Nigeria to seek clarifications on how to submit their old naira notes and possible means of getting the new ones, but the situation was however amplified when CBN officials ignored the protesters and try to attend to an official government vehicle which was at the bank to allegedly move new notes from to another destination.
The protest further degenerated into a bloody situation in which a police officer attached to the CBN allegedly shot dead one of the protesters while others were injured.
The development further worsen the crisis as store owners and traders in Oba market, Lagos street, Ibiwe and Mission road axis abandoned their businesses and joined the protest en mass.
All the various roads leading to king’s square were blocked just as protesters burn tires and hull people on the government.
