There is tension in Ikorodu part of Lagos and its environs following a riot which broke out in Mile 12 on Friday morning allegedly over rejection of old naira notes and naira scarcity
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.
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.
The voice behind a video said some of the hoodlums are attacking commuters and there is a heavy shooting as many cars are making U-turns in the area.
He said: “Everybody is turning back to Ikorodu, there is shooting, heavy shooting. You can see cars going back to Ikorodu inside
“BRT facing the cars coming out of Ikorodu. You can see everybody running.”
Reports 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.
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BREAKING: Unrest, Riots In Lagos Over Old Naira Notes pic.twitter.com/7aqZcH7xyY
— DAILY GIST (@NaijamediaNews) February 17, 2023
BREAKING: Unrest, Riots In Lagos Over Old Naira Notes pic.twitter.com/fCqvuwoQwN
— DAILY GIST (@NaijamediaNews) February 17, 2023
