Many traders locked their shops and fled, while residents were robbed by the hoodlums.

Protests against naira scarcity have been hijacked by hoodlums in Rivers state on Friday.

Punch reported that the hoodlums hijacked the protest to rob residents and business owners in Port Harcourt.

Scores of hoodlums invaded the Mile 3 and Mile 1 markets forcing traders to accept the old notes or risk their goods.

Many traders locked their shops and fled, while residents were robbed by the hoodlums.

Exploiting the protest that spread to the Ikoku area of Mile 3 down to Ikwerre Road in Mile 1, all in the metropolis, the hoodlums also robbed passengers and dispossessed passers-by of their possessions.

The PUNCH earlier reported that the scarcity of the new naira notes took its toll on Port Harcourt on Friday as violent protests erupted in the city.

Punch correspondent who visited the area reports that a detachment of policemen in patrol teams and an Armoured Personnel Carrier had been stationed in the area to quell the situation.