General News
A wave of closures has swept across key businesses on Ogudu Road, Lagos State, including supermarkets, banks and other establishments, as a precautionary measure against potential looting.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent who visited the area observed that shops, banks and other establishments were under lock and key.
NAN reports that this was as a result of the ongoing peaceful protests in some parts of Lagos against bad governance.
The protest prompted concerns about safety and security in the area.
Some of the security personnel in the area told NAN they decided to shut their doors temporarily in order to protect property and assets from potential damage.
The security officers added that they wanted to be sure the protest would not be violent before opening for business.
A security man, simply identified as Mr Joseph, who works with a supermarket, said: “We were told not to open the supermarket until 1.00 p.m., when we are sure there’s no protest around the area.
“We don’t want people to carry out their aggression on our supermarket, we believe some people will use the opportunity to steal things, “he said.
Another security man, Mr Dominic who works at a bank, said they were instructed not to open at all, for the fear that what happened during EndSARS might repeat itself.
“We do not want to be victims of hoodlums, who might hijack the protest and use the opportunity to destroy ATMs and invade the bank, “Dominic said.
Similarly, another security man, Mr Dejo Adegbite, who works at a fast food restaurant, said they were observing and would open if nothing happens in the area.
A security woman, Blessing, who works at a mall at Ogudu, said: “We are not opening today, we don’t want hoodlums to break into the various shops in our mall in the name of protest.
“We are trying to keep the businesses here safe from touts and thieves,” she said.(NAN)
1st August, 2024.
C.E.
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