Protesters defy police in Ibadan, lament high cost of living
By Stephen Gbadamosi
Some residents of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Monday, took to the streets, protesting over high cost of living, hike in food prices and the current economic hardship in the country.
Beginning from the Mokola area of the town, the placard-carrying youths chanted songs to drive home their points, as the marched from one part of the city to another.
The protesters defied an earlier warning by the police. They called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately address the raging issues of insecurity, economic hardship and hunger being faced by Nigerians.
From their take off point in Mokola, the protesters marched through to Sango, University of Ibadan, Iwo Road and others.
They complained about the current state of affairs in the country and demanded for immediate end to the hardship.
Some of the inscriptions on the placards they carried were “End Food Hike And Inflation,” “The Poor Is Starving,” “Tinubu, Don’t Forget Your Promises,” “Tinubu Must Address Insecurity” and “Hunger is Killing Us,” among others.
The protest was however peaceful as residents continued with their daily activities while students and pupils attended school without harassment. The protesters did not disrupt free flow of traffic.
Some residents who spoke with journalists after the protest, commended the protesters for conducting themselves in peaceful manner.
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The Oyo State Police Command, had in a statement on Sunday, warned against “unlawful protest”, maintaining that it had not received any formal protest notification.
In the statement, signed by the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Olawale Osifeso, the police described the protesters as “faceless individuals and groups”
There have been pockets of protests in some states in the last two weeks over the prevailing harsh economic realities.
Some of the states where protesters stormed the streets included Niger, Kano, Osun, Delta, Lagos among others.
