The rejection of old naira notes by business owners, commercial vehicle operators and fuel stations sparked riots on Wednesday afternoon in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital.
The situation, according to TheHILL reporter created panic among residents.
Our paper earlier reported that aggrieved and frustrated residents of Uyo, had stormed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) office, Udo Udoma Avenue, to exchange their old naira for the new notes and also register their displeasure over the unavailability of new Naira.
Many of the frustrated residents which included: students, traders, civil servants, businessmen and women claimed they have so many of the old notes in their possession and had visited their various banks to exchange the old notes for the new ones but were turned back by the officials.
The riot:
TheHILL gathered that the riot started when the people were allegedly unattended to. The situation which reportedly started close to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) office on Bank Layout spread to Udo Udoma Avenue down to the location of traffic light by Osongama/Oron Road.
Protesters, mostly youths, reportedly destroyed things within the vicinity as well as lit bonfires on Udo Udoma Avenue, obstructing road users even as motorists and passers-by scampered for safety.
It was gathered that the prompt arrival and intervention of security operatives prevented the situation from escalating as they fired shot into the air to disperse the mob.
At the time of this report, roadblocks were mounted at strategic points close to the area and normalcy was restored.
