Residents of Ondo have taken to the streets to protest the hardship caused by fuel and naira scarcity. 

The angry residents blocked the busy Ore/Benin expressway, causing heavy traffic that lasted for several hours, forcing many travellers to seek alternative routes. 

One of the stranded commuters, Abiola Ige, revealed that the angry protesters blocked the roads. 

“As I speak, I’m stranded. they have blocked all the major roads. The crowd (protesters) are just too much on the road as they are chanting solidarity songs,” Mr Ige told Peoples Gazette on Tuesday. “Some of them hold sticks and use tyres to block the main road. Their grievance is just about the scarcity of the naira and fuel in the country.”

The protest cane barely 24 hours that the police in Ondo asked residents not to protest on the streets to remonstrate against the lingering fuel and cash scarcity.  

Oyeyemi Oyediran, the police commissioner in Ondo, had on Monday, warned against the breach of peace in the state.

“Considering the current security situation of the state (Ondo) for it not to be hijacked by hoodlums or used as a means to perpetrate other heinous crimes in the state,” said a statement by the police command in Ondo.

It added, “After the dialogue, it was suggested that an active taskforce be emplaced to monitor the activities of the relevant bodies to ensure the issues mentioned are resolved.”