Several people have been shot dead by security agents in Benin, Edo State, FIJ can report.
Moments after protests broke out in the state, security agencies responded with teargas and guns, felling no fewer than five persons.
“Three persons were killed in Ring Road, one person in Forestry, and another in Siluko,” a source told FIJ.
Videos obtained by FIJ show dead bodies lying bloodied on roads as protesters scurry to safety.
READ MORE: BREAKING: 3 Dead as Soldiers Engage Protesters Attacking CBN in Edo
In one of the videos, an unidentified male can be heard saying, “Wahala, see person wey dem kill, wahala. Which kain country be this?”
FIJ also obtained footage of policemen and soldiers shooting directly at protesters in the state.
An eyewitness told FIJ she was trapped in her office while the protests were ongoing.
She said, “The bus that carried us had to stop us halfway because vehicles were unable to operate.
“Bus drivers were even rejecting new notes; they said they would only collect old notes.
“Between Ring Road and Main Gate, they (protesters) destroyed all the banks; none was spared. There were over 20 banks. I don’t know where the protest came from but it was just sudden. I have seen dead bodies today. I can’t talk much.”
The distance between Ring Road and Main Gate is 9 km, FIJ learnt, but was unable to ascertain the number of banks on that route.
Sources said the protest began when traders in the city approached the CBN to demand new notes as they could not transact with the old Naira notes.
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