Civil society groups under the aegis of Edo State Civil Society Organisation (EDOCSO) and other discontented residents of the state have blocked the Benin-Lagos highway following the increase in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS). The protesters who occupied strategic streets in Benin City called for the immediate reversal of the fuel price.
The protesters wielding placards, caused snarl-ups, forcing commuters to trek to their various destinations.
One of the EDOCSO stakeholders, Omobude Agho, said the protest was to get the attention of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu so that he could look into the fuel pump price.
“We are protesting because of the increase in fuel price which started yesterday, marketers moved the price from N210 to over N500.
“We were shocked to see that even the NNPC Limited fixed over N500 as the pump price. So, we feel this is a plan to kill Nigerians or send us to our graves.
“The strategy is called local protest, we are localising the protest. It is currently ongoing in places such as Uselu shell, Ologbo, Siluko and Agbor park,” he said.
Agho further stated that if by Friday the government doesn’t review its pronouncement, the demonstrations will spread to other areas.