The second day of the ten-day #EndBadGovernment protest in Edo State was largely peaceful, except for an incident on Sapele Road where police and protesters clashed.
The altercation began when protesters blocked both sides of the busy road, leading to police intervention and the use of tear gas to disperse the crowd.
Despite the peaceful nature of the protests in most areas, the tension was palpable in Urora, a suburb of Benin. On Thursday, the opening day of the protest, residents looted a truckload of rice parked in the vicinity.
The incident, captured in a 40-second viral video, showed residents scrambling to grab mini bags of rice from a truck.
In the video, the person filming can be heard saying, “This is our rice that the government gave us, this is where they hid it. We have located it. This is Urora. Look at rice everywhere, come and collect your rice. Look at the rice that the Edo State Government gave us, this is where they hid it.”
The looting incident underscores the deep frustrations of residents who are protesting against bad governance and widespread hunger. The ten-day protest aims to draw attention to these issues, with events taking place across the nation.
Authorities have yet to comment on the looting or the altercation on Sapele Road. However, the situation in Edo State remains tense as the protests continue.
