REVEALED: How ‘Bullion Van’ Sparked Violent Protest in Abeokuta

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By Opeyemi Lawal

Angry residents of Abeokuta, Ogun State, were seen on the streets protesting the unending cash and fuel scarcity in the country.

In some of the videos shared on social media, an angry mob advances towards a First Bank branch in the state capital. The mob, attempting to destroy the bank, hurls stones and sticks at it.

In a video, the protester behind the camera says he loves the spike of violence as the situation has become unbearable.

“Yes, this is how it should be. The suffering is too much. I support that. Everywhere,” the masculine voice says repeatedly.

Angry mob destroying First Bank at Sapon
A source who spoke with FIJ said the violence was sparked by the refusal of a Guaranty Trust Bank in the Asero area of the state capital to allow residents access cash after a ‘bullion van’ was seen entering its compound.

“Earlier, around noon, people traced a ‘bullion van’ to the GTBank in Asero,” he told FIJ.

“When people got to the bank, officials told them there was no money, which made them angry.

“They got hold of the bank manager and unleashed their anger on him.”

The source said although security operatives immediately stepped in to contain the violence, their presence didn’t stop it from spreading to other parts of the state capital.

“Even though military personnel and security operatives were immediately deployed, the mob took their protest to an Access Bank branch in Car Wash before proceeding to Sapon,” the source said.

“In Sapon, they set fire to a First Bank branch.”

He noted that the protests in Abeokuta, though sparked by the unavailability of naira notes and petrol, was compounded by a prolonged power outage in the town.

On Friday, it was reported that residents of Ibadan, Oyo State, protested the scarcity of naira notes in the country.