Some residents of Port Harcourt protested the Central Bank of Nigeria’s naira redesign policy and the introduction of new notes on Friday. As the demonstration continued, hoodlums took advantage of the unrest, invading shops in Ikoku, the popular spare‑parts market, as well as the Mile 3 markets and the Emenike axis. They forced traders to accept the old N500 and N1 000 notes as legal tender and threatened to destroy goods if the traders refused.
An eyewitness, who asked to remain anonymous, told our correspondent that traders and shop owners in Ikoku and Mile 3 hurriedly closed for the day and fled for safety. “They are insisting that everyone must take the old naira – the N500 and N1 000 notes,” the witness said. “If people do not close, their property and goods are destroyed. Soon they will blame the Igbo boys in Ikoku for the riots. These are hoodlums burning tires and destroying people’s property. I wonder why people are being forced to accept old notes; it is their businesses, not the government’s, that opened them.”
The violence later spread to Emenike and Okika streets in the Mile 1 axis. Armed police, patrol vehicles and an armoured personnel carrier were deployed to the Ikoku junction and Mile 3 axis of Ikwerre Road to contain the situation. A resident recounted that his wife called him from Ikoku while chaos erupted: “Boys were chasing people; I don’t know who they are. Bus drivers and private vehicles were fleeing in panic. When I went out, I saw fires at Ikoku roundabout near the new flyover. Security men attached to the Anglican Church were trying to put out the flames because a burial was taking place nearby. The boys were looting, robbing people and taking their mobile phones. They claim they are protesting over the money issue and shouting that ‘Deygbam’ (a cult group) is not here.”
Miss Favour Harcourt, a victim of the rampage, described her ordeal: “A group of boys attacked our driver as he was reversing at Ikoku Junction, broke his windscreen and beat him. When I got out of the vehicle, one of them grabbed me, stabbed my hand, stole my phone and wallet, and ran. The Diobu Vigilante caught him and recovered my phone; they arrested him.”
When contacted, Grace Iringe‑Koko, spokesperson for the State Police Command, confirmed the disturbances and said five persons had been arrested. “We anticipated this problem because of similar incidents elsewhere in the country,” she said. “We received a distressed call this morning, and the Commissioner of Police deployed all tactical units and anti‑riot police. Patrol vans are now stationed at Ikoku, Emenike and Mile 3, and normalcy has returned.”
The Chief Security Officer of the Nkpolu Oroworukwo Mile 3 Diobu Vigilante, Godstime Ihunwo, also confirmed the arrest of one hoodlum. “At about 8:30–9 am on Friday, 17 February 2023, we received a distress call about a rampage along Ikwerre Road. We intervened and intercepted a man who claimed to be a member of a security watch. He had robbed Miss Favour Harcourt at Ikoku Junction of her Android phone and wallet, but our men recovered the items.”
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