Suspected hoodlums as early as 7:30 am on Wednesday blocked Ekenwan road by Erediawa junction in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State, stopped vehicles in search of policemen.
The youths who protested in the guise of #EndSARS, painted their faces with black substances to conceal their identity.
At Upper Sakponba road, in Ikpoba-Okha LGA, the suspected hoodlums also stopped vehicles in search of police officers, and extorted money from motorists.
However, men of the Nigerian Army have taken over the ever- busy Oba Ovoranmwen square, Airport road and Sapele road by the Benin Correctional Centre.
The soldiers were sighted patrolling the Oba Ovoranmwen square, its adjourning streets such as Akpakpava, Sakponba, Mission, Airport roads as well as Sapele road, and directing residents to comply with the state government 24- hour curfew imposed in the state since Monday.
A passenger, who spoke on condition of anonymity said, the Army prevented their commercial bus from entering the Oba Ovonramwen Square and turned them back to Ikpoba Hill area where they came from.
He said officers of the army also followed them to Ramat Park where they drove away traders at the Oregbeni market to comply with the curfew.
In Agbor park road at Ikpoba Okha area, Policemen shot repeatedly to the air to disperse suspected hoodlums from blocking the road.
Meanwhile, the hoodlums have resorted to widescale robbing of residents
On Tuesday night, several houses were reported to have been robbed in Erediauwa street and its axis.
The same incident was said to have taken place at New Benin market, Mission road and other locations within the Benin metropolis.
It was reported that the suspected robbers in the early hours of Wednesday dispossessed unsuspecting market women, traders and passers-by of their money and other valuables in the areas.
The robbery incidents was alleged to have been a spillover of recent invasion by hoodlums on police stations and Correctional Centers in the state.
The suspects raided the facilities and made away with yet to be accounted number of arms and ammunition.
An estimated 1,993 inmates from the two Correctional Centers in the state are yet to be rearrested after they were freed by the hoodlums on Monday.
The state government had on Tuesday held an emergency security meeting to review the imposed curfew which it said subsists till further notice.
