3 Dead, 20 Trucks Set Ablaze In Delta’s Bloody Protest By Angry Youths Protesting EFCC’s Arrest Of ‘Yahoo Boys’

An uprising of violence has engulfed parts of Delta State, especially the commercial centre of the state, Warri, and Ughelli as irate youths cause mayhem at the Otovwodo axis of the East/West road in protest of what they claim is the EFCC’s (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission) relentless arrest of suspected internet fraudsters known as “yahoo boys.”

According to www.bigpenngr.com, by the time the protest’s commotion subsided in Ughelli, at least three bodies were discovered on the ground, and more than 20 trucks carrying granite and petroleum products were set on fire.’

In Warri, a similar protest left many drivers and commuters stranded for hours at the congested Effurun roundabout, causing chaos throughout the city.

At the Effurun roundabout, protesters had lit bonfires in the early morning hours and carried various placards, some of which read “#EndEFCC.”

According to reports, the #EndSars protest, which grew into a major violent protest across the country, began at the same Otovwodo junction in Ughelli where this one started.

The #Endsars protest, which got its start in a similar situation, was against youth harassment and police brutality.

Tuesday’s demonstration, which turned violent in the afternoon, came the day after 95 suspected internet fraudsters were detained in Warri, Delta State, by agents of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Port Harcourt Zonal Command.

According to EFCC spokesman Wilson Uwujeren, the suspects, also referred to as “yahoo boys,” were detained on September 29, 2022, during a sting operation at Warri’s Adesa Ughonton and Jedda axis for suspected fraudulent internet-related activities.

The youths who protested simultaneously in Warri and Ughelli claimed that the anti-graft agency had mistakenly identified them as internet scammers without any hard evidence to support their claims.

“We want peace in Nigeria, and they are using the EFCC to disorganized and prevent the youths from voting at the 2023 general election, and we will not accept it from anyone,” one protester who identified himself as Johnson said.

“The activities of the EFCC are becoming too much, we do not have good roads, schools are on strike, even after graduating, there are no jobs and they are here chasing shadows,” said another protester who identified himself as Christian.

Then, he wondered, “one old man will shake himself into position and tell us rats ran away with money, tomorrow another will enter and tell us mosquitoes fly away with money, is their money missing, or is their father’s money.”

As of Tuesday night, when this report was submitted, a team of soldiers and mobile police officers had been dispatched to the area, which has since been abandoned by locals and business owners.