By: Ayinde Muhammed
Tension finally reached boiling point as commercial activities were put on hold in some parts of Ilorin metropolis on Wednesday (February 15, 2023) as residents embarked on protest over the deadline of the naira swap.
Affected areas included Geri-Alimi, Gambari, Oloje, Omoda, Alore, Oja Oba and Adangba areas of ilorin.
Residents were seen on the streets chanting war songs and burning of tyres on the streets which has led to motorists deserting the roads and commuters stranded.
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele had stated that old naira notes; N200, N500 and N1000, have stopped being a legal tender.
The protests which led to violent as residents lamented facing hardship over the rejection of the old naira notes by commercial banks, petrol stations, commercial transporters and some traders in the state capital.
Normalcy has however been restored by the Nigerian police who have deployed their officers to some affected areas of the town with some suspects reportedly arrested in connection with the incident.
