Protesting youths barricade road, extort money from motorists

Residents in Ekehuan, Ugbiyokho, Army barracks roads, Upper Mission and Aduwawa in Benin City, Edo State capital, were subjected to harrowing experiences as the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protest entered the fourth day on Sunday.

DAILY POST reports that the protesters, mainly street boys, disrupted commercial activities and vehicular movements.

The protesters defied the directives of the management team of civil society organisations, CSOs, the coordinators of the protest in the state, who had, on Saturday, withdrawn from the protest due to an alleged intelligence report and the need to re-strategise.

The CSOs had said: “At this junction, due to intelligence reports, we are withdrawing from the protest to re-strategise and that is not to say that Nigerians who wish to express themselves cannot do so.

“But we will want to say that we have achieved a lot and stated our demands, which we expect the government to look into. This has been achieved without bloodshed and destruction of properties.”

In defiance of the CSOs’ directives, street boys barricaded the ever-busy Ekehuan Road, thereby making vehicular movements a herculean task for motorists and residents.

Over 20 barricades were mounted on the road while some youths engaged in collecting between N100 and N500 from motorists and motorcyclists before they were allowed to pass through.

The development made commuters resort to trekking, while commercial drivers hiked fare prices from between N300 and N400 to N700 and even up to N1000.

Other protesters not only blocked the major road but also blocked adjoining streets that would have served as an alternative route for motorists.

The situation was not different at Upper Mission and Aduwawa roads, where protesters barricaded the roads, thereby making movement difficult for motorists and commuters.

The protesters that came out on Sunday in Benin metropolis were few compared to the first three days, those on the Ekehuan Road, however, vowed that Monday’s protest would be worse as no motorists would be allowed to ply the road unless they join in the protest.

The barricades along the road were, however, dismantled by the personnel of the Edo State Police Command, who also chased away the protesters.

Those who spoke on condition of anonymity condemned the attitude of the youths, noting that they are all victims of the bad governance they are protesting against.

A visibly angry passenger who alighted from a commercial bus verbally attacked a driver for dropping her halfway after paying a transport fare of N700 from Ring Road to Ugbiyokho as against the normal N400.

Other passengers, who also lamented the hardship occasioned by the barricades mounted on the road, noted that they were dropped off at Asoro Hill after the payment of N1000 from Ring Road to Ojemai Farm by a commercial driver.

They said the journey from the Asoro hill to Ojemai Farm was almost the same distance as Ring Road.

They, however, appealed to the protesting youths to be considerate in their actions, as they are also victims of bad government.

King Square, the designated venue for the protest in Benin City, was devoid of protesters, leading to the free flow of human and vehicular movement on adjoining streets to the city centre.

The development was occasioned by the withdrawal of civil society groups in Edo State from the protest just a few hours before the presidential broadcast.

Other areas devoid of protests are Sakponba Road, Benin-Lagos Road, and Benin-Sapele Road by Santana Market.

The protesters had in the past three days occupied the areas to express their displeasure over the economic hardship in the country.