The ongoing peaceful protest against Police brutality and good governance in the country may have been hijacked by suspected hoodlums who broke into the Benin Custodial Centre at Sapele Road, Benin causing jailbreak.
The hoodlums’ action on Monday at the facility, popularly called “White House’’ saw many prisoners escaping, though the number could not be ascertained as at the time of filing this report.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that it took the efforts of the prison’s armed guards to quell the riots while some prisoners who fled the centre were caught.
NAN also reports that Benin metropolis was on total lockdown as banks, private and government-owned schools were under lock and key following continuous youth protests.
A correspondent of NAN who monitored the protest reports that all the major roads leading to the city centre were all blocked by the protesting youths.
Some of the youth were seen chanting solidarity songs and playing football, while others were busy cooking on the road.
Mr Osagie Obamogie, one of the protesters who spoke with newsmen said: “We are tired of the hardship, no sector of the economy is working and we can no longer continue like this.
“I graduated since 2012 with no job in sight. I managed to open a barbershop and there is no adequate electricity supply to run it properly.
“They have increased fuel and increased electricity tariff. Everything is on the high side. We are no longer protesting only # EndSARS, it has metamorphosed into End bad government”.
