Protesters of #EndSARS were on Sunday night attacked at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) head office in Abuja, their cars burnt.
Like Alausa Ikeja, the CBN headquarters is another heavily secured area but hoodlums found their way to the protesters with no form of resistance.
The young protesters who held up different placards and blocked the two entrances of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) head office in Abuja, had vowed to prevent activities at the nation’s apex bank on Monday October 19.
They also parked their vehicles in front of the main gate of the CBN headquarters, blocking movement in and out of the premises and from connecting roads.
However in an update served late in the night, it was gathered that the protesters who were at the CBN headquarters were attacked by hoodlums. An eyewitness who was also a victim of the attack, alleged that the hoodlums were driven to the protest ground in “Prado SUVs.”
It was further gathered that the cars of the protesters were burnt by the hoodlums who attacked them.
Multiple sources say the protesters were woken up by sounds of gunshots with the police watching as they were attacked.
It was gathered that the thugs, who continually shot at them, set the protesters’ vehicles ablaze.
No casualty was recorded except the DJ’s truck and equipment that was burnt.
This development comes days after the Federal Capital Territory (FCTA) Security Committee banned #EndSARS protests in Abuja for violation of COVID-19 protocols.
Here is the video below:
UPDATE
Gabriel Igbide, a nail technician, who was at the protest when the attack happened, said they had received information that the thugs were coming in a convoy.
He told PREMIUM TIMES that their protest was peaceful until the attack happened. He added that they had already spoken with the police and soldiers around the bank and began their protest, careful not to encroach into the space of the security agents.
“Before we knew it, the boys came, we did not know where they came from, they came in about six to seven buses,” Mr Igbide said.
“When they came, there were a few of us left. The thugs came with guns, cutlasses, knives, and daggers.”
He said as they began attacking, the protesters ran for their lives.
Mr Igbide added that the disc jockey’s equipment and truck was set ablaze by the thugs and some protesters sustained injuries while fleeing.
Another protester, Camillus Titus, said they had intended to camp outside the CBN until Monday.
“Around past midnight we got intel that some hoodlums were approaching to disrupt the protest, so we plucked sticks and waited for them,” Mr Titus said.
“Around four in the morning, these guys arrived in their numbers with different kinds of weapons you can imagine. Immediately the first guy came down from the car, he started shooting; he carried a pump-action shotgun, he was shooting and the others were shouting ‘Allah Akbar.’
“We ran as they came after us, everybody scattered; they burned down our DJ’s vehicle. We went to the police but they did not do anything, they just stood there watching these guys burn down our vehicles; they even asked us to run.”
PREMIUM TIMES spoke to the DJ, Barnabas Onunke, who said he lost his laptop, his speakers, microphones, generator, and his car.
He added that the police watched as the thugs came after them and burnt down his equipment and they did nothing about it.
Isaac Okoroafor, the CBN spokesperson, did not immediately respond to requests for comments.
