A yet-to-be-identified man has slumped and died after standing in a queue for long hours at a bank in Agbor, Delta State.
It was gathered that the man died after waiting for hours to collect his Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card at the bank in Ika South Local Government Area, Delta State.
The state’s Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Bright Edafe, confirmed the incident.
“He was not trying to withdraw cash; he came to collect his ATM card,” the police spokesperson said.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that banking halls across various commercial banks in Lagos, Osun, Ekiti, and other parts of the country witnessed minimal activity as frustrated customers resorted to alternative means of cash withdrawal following the scarcity of naira notes in the banks.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) observed that while most banking halls were empty due to a paucity of funds in bank vaults, large crowds had formed outside some of the few banks that were rumoured to be preparing to load their ATM.
Meanwhile, some aggrieved residents of Ibadan, Oyo State capital, on Friday trooped to major roads protesting over the hardship imposed on them by the new naira-notes and persistent fuel scarcity.
The protesters, in their hundreds, blocked the Iwo Road Interchange, frontage of the State Secretariat at Agodi and other major roads in the city.
At the state secretariat, the fierce-looking youths forcefully opened the gate and moved into the complex, heading straight to the Governor’s office situated within the complex.
They were, however, prevented from gaining entrance into the governor’s office due to quick response from the security personnel manning the gates.
In the town, the protesters obstructed the major roads, thereby hindering free vehicular movement, which left many commuters stranded.
At Iwo Road Interchange, suspected hoodlums have hijacked the protest.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that they were seen blocking all the adjoining roads, burning tyres and harassing motorists and the commuters.
At the Gate/Bus Stop and Idi- Ape axis, the protesters blocked the roads, diverting vehicles from the direction.
A cross-section of the protesters attributed their actions to the frustrations being faced in the banks and filling stations.
The patrol vehicles of security agencies, particularly the police were seen moving toward Iwo Road and Idiape areas of the city to restore normalcy.
Commenting, Mr Olu Akindele, an Artisan, said he spent the whole day at the Automated Teller Machine point in one of the banks at Iwo Road on Thursday and was unable to get cash.
According to him, the ATM was not dispensing, but I waited for hours, hoping that the bank officials would load it.
“We Nigerians have been contending with fuel and new naira-notes scarcity for weeks across the country. I believe it is time for the government to take positive step to address the twins challenges we are battling with,” he said.
A POS operator, Miss Funmi Irewole, also expressed frustration as she could not withdraw either the old or new notes from her deposit before the extension of the deadline.
Ojewole called on the Federal Government to, as a matter of urgency, review its policy on the new naira notes to alleviate the sufferings of the citizens.
Watch the video of Oyo protest below:
Protest rocks Ibadan over Naira swap and hikes in fuel price.
Activities at the Oyo State Secretariat were disrupted today, February 3, as youths in the state protested over the lingering scarcity of fuel and new naira notes. pic.twitter.com/p5gwe2LPip
— Gist.am (@Gist_am) February 3, 2023
