Naira Protests: Nigerian Police Enhance Security At Banks, ATM Sites

Nigeria Police Force's Bayelsa State Command has dispatched additional police officers to the state's commercial banks and Automated Teller Machine (ATM) sites following the commotion caused by the naira scarcity in the country.

The Bayelsa State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Asinim Butswat, issued a statement in which he also warned citizens against engaging in violent protests, stating that the command would not tolerate any individual or group disturbing the state's law and order.

"Miscreants, under any guise, are hereby warned to desist from carrying out any unlawful assembly to unleash violence in the State, as the Command will not allow any person(s) or group of persons to truncate the relative peace being enjoyed in the State," he said, as reported by Daily Post.

Numerous protests have taken place across the country, including in the states of Ogun and Lagos, as the misery brought on by the naira shortage continues to pound Nigerians harder. Due to this, several businesses have been forced to close, and some students can't afford the transportation fares to reach schools.

Meanwhile, state governments and police forces have started cracking down on merchants and supermarkets allegedly rejecting the old naira notes. Authorities in Kano, Sokoto, Katsina, Bayelsa, Zamfara, and Kwara had ordered security agencies to take action on anyone who refused to accept the old N1000, N500, and N200 notes, Legit reported.

The Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, ordered the acting chairman of the Kano State Consumer Protection Council, Dr. Baffa Dan'agundi, to shut down the Wellcare supermarket for refusing to accept the old naira notes.

The Katsina state government also cautioned banks and traders not to reject the old naira notes until the Supreme Court issues a final ruling on the matter. The government claimed to have learned that banks and dealers in the state were turning down residents' old notes, a move it claimed had put the populace through extremely difficult times.

Also, the state police command in Sokoto pledged to take action against anyone who rejects the old notes. Sanusi Abubakar, the command's public relations officer, called on citizens to report anyone refusing to accept old naira notes to the state's law enforcement officials.