<strong>Banks, shops vandalised, as youths protest scarcity of money in Rivers</strong>

From Tony John, Port Harcourt

Several banks and shops were on Friday vandalised and destroyed by protesting angry youths over scarcity of cash in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.  Both old and new generation banks located along Churchill, Aggrey, Station and Ikwerre roads in the state capital were torched.

Saturday Sun gathered that hoodlums hijacked the protest and looted shops and destroyed several Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) and attacked suspected bank workers.

The hoodlums, under the guise of protesting the scarcity of money came out in their numbers around the Mile Three, Mile Two Diobu areas of Port Harcourt, chasing passersby, robbing people of phones, monies and burning tyres on major roads.

The pandemonium forced banks and markets to shut down and paralyse business activities and transportation.

Earlier, at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) office close to the state secretariat, there was a surge of bank customers who stormed the place with their old Naira notes for deposit.

Some bank customers, who spoke to Saturday Sun said that they were at the CBN as early as 4am, but nobody attended to them.  As the crowd surged and appeared uncontrollable by security operatives, gunshots were fired in air to disperse the crowd.

The shooting heightened tension in Port Harcourt and its environs, which made the state police command to deploy tactical squads to restore normalcy at the troubled areas. 

At the time of filing this report, security operatives were stationed at places regarded as flash points in the state capital