An unidentified young man is feared dead following a violent protest in Abeokuta, Ogun State, over scarcity of new naira notes and fuel across the country.

The unidentified man was seen in his pull of blood in front of the First Bank at the Sapon area of the State capital.

The source of his injury could not be immediately ascertained, but he was seen staggering and holding his hand before he later fell on the ground and taken away from the scene.

Although he was said to have been hit by a stray bullet, but nobody could identify weather the said bullet was from police officers or the protesting youths.

Although he was said to have been hit by a stray bullet, but nobody could identify weather the said bullet was from police officers or the protesting youths.

The frontage of the bank was vandalized with the angry mobs throwing stones and other dangerous weapons at the bank.

A source told our correspondent that the bank became the target of some hoodlums, who were said to have hijacked the protest in an attempt to rob the First Bank.

It was gathered that some armed ‘areas boys’ besieged the bank in an attempt to gain access into the bank.

The canopy in front of the bank had earlier been set on fire, while other properties of the bank were destroyed.

“In a bid to stop the invasion of the bank, armed policemen raced to the scene and there was an exchange of gunshots between them and the area boys.

“During the confrontation, the bullet hit a young man and he was rushed to the hospital. We have not got any update so far,” a source told our correspondent anonymously.

The protest which started simultaneously in major areas of Abeokuta had the protesters blocking major roads across the state Capital.

From Brewery, Lafenwa, Ibara under bridge, Sapon, Obantoko Carwash, etc, the protesters were seen moving from one place to the other.

While some other commercial banks were vandalized by the angry mob, bonfires were made across the state capital to prevent vehicular movements.

Billboards of political parties were also destroyed in the process of the protests, while banks and schools were forced to close abruptly.

It was gathered that the crisis was ignited at a branch of GTbank in Asero area of Abeokuta, where customers had queued since 4am but could not withdraw cash.

It was further gathered that the protesters had attempted to attack the GTbank, but were stopped by the prompt intervention of the police, prompting the protesters to block the busy Obantoko road.

The riot also spread to other parts of the metropolis like Sapon, where political posters and billboards were destroyed by the protesters.

While parents rushed to schools to bring home their wards at noon, relatives also called their loved ones phone, asking them to stay safe and avoid being victims of the ongoing violent protest.

“We can't withdraw our money, we can't buy fuel, see long queues everywhere. There is no water, there is no light, yet these people are out there campaigning. What type of a nation is this? We must stop this nonsense,” one of the protesters could be heard in a video.

The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, office at the IBB Boulevard, Abeokuta, was manned by heavily armed policemen and men of Nigeria Arny over fear of being attacked.

Contacted, the Ogun State police spokesman, Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed the incident, saying policemen were monitoring the situation.

While saying calm had been restored in Asero, Oyeyemi warned the protesters against causing more hardship for Nigerians, especially by vandalising other people's properties.