New Naira: Rivers Hoodlums Hijack Protest, Invade Market, Rob Residents

In what will come across as a really startling development, some hoodlums have hijacked  protest in Rivers State.

The hoodlums, on Friday hijacked the protest against naira scarcity to rob residents and business owners in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

Scores of hoodlums invaded the Mile 3 and Mile 1 markets forcing traders to accept the old notes or risk their goods.

Many traders locked their shops and fled, while residents were robbed by the hoodlums.

Exploiting the protest that spread to the Ikoku area of Mile 3 down to Ikwerre Road in Mile 1, all in the metropolis, the hoodlums also robbed passengers and dispossessed passers-by of their possessions.

The PUNCH earlier reported that the scarcity of the new naira notes took its toll on Port Harcourt on Friday as violent protests erupted in the city.

The PUNCH correspondent who visited the area reports that a detachment of policemen in patrol teams and an Armoured Personnel Carrier had been stationed in the area to quell the situation.