Bello Ademola, Ekiti
Palpable tension in Ado Ekiti, the state capital on Tuesday, as hoodlums with pump action guns took over streets of Ado Ekiti, shooting indiscriminately to prevent the nationwide protest against the Special Anti Robbery Squad tagged #EndSARS.
However, the protest began across the country last week as politicians, singers, activists and other Nigerians called for the total disbandment of the notorious police unit.
The protest also trended on social media, drawing support from prominent individuals and groups across the globe.
The protest to #EndSARS started in Ekiti on Friday with the youths converging at Fajuyi Pavilion, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State.
Periscope Nigeria gathered that the youths took over every section of Ado Ekiti, the capital of Ekiti State in protest.
Virtually, all the strategic roads in the metropolis were blocked by the youths, comprising students, Okada riders, commercial drivers, civil society bodies and other unemployed individuals.
Affected area includes; the Fajuyi Park, Okeyinmi, Ijigbo , Basiri, Matthew area, Ajilosun , among others.
Students in public and private schools, who had earlier resumed schools, were hurriedly asked to return home to prevent being caught in the web.
Civil servants, who were on their way to work were stranded on the way while some of them were seen returning home in frustration.
The protesters who flaunted the Nigerian flag sang all manner of songs to mock the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
As they marched from one point to the other, they also sang the Nigerian and Ekiti Anthems, querying the rationale behind the lopsidedness in the distribution of the nation’s wealth.
They mounted barricades and forced commuters to trek several meters or kilometers before getting to their respective destinations.
One of them, who identified himself as Joseph Dada addressed newsmen at Fajuyi area and attributed the protests across the nation to lackluster and inept dispositions of the Buhari-led government.
He said: ”Enough is enough. How can SARS be killing people all over the place? How can a bag of rice be sold for N40,000? How can a governor buy the votes to win reelection even when he has not done anything to justify his re-election?
“See how our youths are being killed everyday. No job, no food, no house to live. We are all suffering, and we are saying these must stop.
“Petrol is now sold for N160 per litre and the electricity tariff has gone up. We are now forced to pay higher tariff for total darkness. This is callous and it must stop”.
The protests started in Ado Ekiti last week with the most dangerous event witnessed on Friday when the protesters besieged the House of Assembly to disrupt the state of the state address being presented by Governor Kayode Fayemi to mark his second year in office.
The protesters became unruly and it took the intervention of the police who whisked the governor out of the assembly complex unhurt.
