#EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests wane as soldiers, police clear barricades in Edo

The intensity of the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protest waned in most parts of Edo State as police and soldiers removed barricades set up by youths in some remote areas.

Our correspondent, who moved around major places in the state, reported this on Friday.

At Ring Road, the centre of the protest, the organisers were seen fixing the podium, which collapsed on the opening day while the early morning rain poured down in torrents.

On Sapele Road, soldiers came to remove barricades placed by youths at different points of the road.

Also, the police were at the Ramat-Auchi bypass road to remove barricades, while they also dispersed those who resisted the move with canisters.

The Ekhwuan road axis was also barricaded as youths played freely on the ever-busy road. However, the Government Reservation Area witnessed heavy vehicular movement as motorists used the area to connect remote parts of Sapele Road.

Commuters who travelled to Benin from other states were prevented from entering the City at Auchi bypass. Others, who could not wait for buses and taxis to start plying the route, engaged the services of commercial motorcyclists to continue their journey.

A motorcyclist told According Online that the Ramat-Auchi Road was blocked and that he could only take passengers from the bypass to the pipeline bus stop.

“It is difficult to get to Ramat Park because the vehicles are not working due to the barricades on the road. We, the motorcyclists, can only get as far as pipelines. It is dangerous to attempt to go further than that. Due to the risk, our fares also increased.

However, she, who identified herself as Mercy, said she was held up at the Auchi bypass for several hours after arriving in Benin from Abuja early Thursday morning.

“It was a bad experience. We were held up at the Auchi bypass, and to compound the problem, the vehicle bringing us to Benin broke down close to the bypass. A cab that I got on Friday morning said he would collect N3000, and I had to wait for a bus that collected N500 from each passenger from the bypass to Ramat, from where I got another bus to Ring Road.”

Drivers stationed their buses opposite the Central Bank, taking passengers from one part of the city to another, with the protesters’ activities a stone’s throw away.

One of the leaders of the protest, Kola Edokpayi, said that the protest was going on successfully, noting that people from Ogida, Upper Sakponba, and other parts of the state, joined them at the centre.

He added, “The protest is going on successfully, and other people have joined in from other parts of the city to ensure it remains peaceful.”