As members of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, on Tuesday protested in Benin City over the high cost of living in the country, security operatives took over some public institutions to forestall a possible hijack of the protest and attack by hoodlums.
OsunDailyNG reports that the Nigerian Army, Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC and Edo State Security Networks, ESSN were fully on ground.
The operatives were seen in large numbers at the Ekehuan campus of the University of Benin, UNIBEN, located along Ekehuan Road, the Ugbowo main Campus of the University and the Nigerian Correctional Service, NCS, all in Benin City.
The Ekehuan campus of the University of Benin entrance gate and Ugbowo were taken over by personnel of the Nigeria Police and Edo State Security Network, while operatives of the Nigerian Army stood guard at the Nigerian Correctional Service gate.
Personnel of the Nigeria Police were also at the premises of the Nigerian National Museum, the take-off point of the protest as well as the gate of the Edo State House of Assembly.
It was gathered that security operatives were deployed to the public institutions to forestall possible attacks by hoodlums.
Recall that in 2020, during the EndSARS protest, the Nigerian Correctional Service in Benin was attacked and over 1000 inmates escaped.
Several state and federal institutions including Police stations were also attacked and set ablaze.
Also attacked and looted during the EndSARS protest were properties of private individuals.
The protesting NLC members and affiliates marched through the ever-busy Kings Square, Sapele Road and the Edo State Government House to present their demands to the State Governor, Godwin Obaseki.
The protesters were armed with placards of various inscriptions such as, “End naira devaluation and support local production, free education not student loan, stop robbing the poor, tax the rich, end hunger/ poverty/ reject IMT and World Bank policies.
Others are, “Government, please put a stop to all inhuman actions and policies, the masses need to breathe,” among others.
Speaking at the protest, the Edo State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Odion Olaye, said the protest was to draw the federal government’s attention to the plights of Nigerians, especially the economic hardship the people are passing through in the country.
He urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to urgently put measures in place to address the economic hardship in the country
He, however, urged members of the union to embark on the protest peacefully, noting that hoodlums should not be allowed to hijack the process.
Receiving the protesters, on behalf of Governor Godwin Obaseki, the State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare commended the NLC for their peaceful protest.
Nehikhare, who said the state government was in support of the protest, added that the Governor Obaseki-led government had recently held a meeting with market women and traders on the need to find a way to reduce the high cost of food in the state.
