Passengers stranded as community women protest, barricade Rivers airport

Women from the Ipo community, located near Port Harcourt International Airport, staged a protest on Tuesday morning.

They blocked the entrance to the airport roundabout at 7:30 am, causing traffic congestion while passengers struggled to access the airport.

The women demanded government attention to their community’s neglected infrastructure. They chanted slogans, displayed placards reading “We Demand Our Citizens Rights” and “Ipo Women Peaceful Protest,” and even cooked at the protest site.

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Their major grievances included the lack of electricity, poor road conditions, and inadequate schools, despite their community hosting the international airport.

This is the second such protest by Ipo women this year. In March, they voiced similar concerns, and Sergeant Awuse, the former chairman of the Rivers Traditional Rulers Council later pacified them.

The protest comes a day after the Rivers State Police Command warned against a separate planned protest by the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE). Citing security concerns, the police urged NULGE to suspend the protest, which was subsequently called off.

Taofeek Oyedokun

Taofeek Oyedokun is a correspondent at BusinessDay with years of experience reporting on political economy, public policy, migration, environment/climate change, and social justice. A graduate of Political Science from the University of Lagos, he has also earned multiple professional certificates in journalism and media-related training. Known for his clear, data-driven reporting, Oyedokun covers a wide range of national and international socioeconomic issues, bringing depth, balance, and public-interest focus to his work.