Soldiers have been deployed to the streets of Abuja to arrest the escalating #ENDSARS protests.

The protests in Abuja, have in some cases, got out of hand with suspected hoodlums attacking protesters as well as pro-SARS groups.

The situation has often led to clashes that left several persons injured with vehicles and other property damaged.

There have been reports that a protester, who was stabbed by one of such hoodlums, died in a hospital.

The military officers were stationed at the popular Aya roundabout early Monday morning, with a roadblock and barricade, according to The Nation. 

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Also, police officers are stationed in front of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) headquarters with Armoured Personnel Carrier and water cannons.

Protesters had defied Sunday night rain and camped overnight outside CBN headquarters protesting police brutality and extra-judicial killings.

The Nigerian Army recently announced ‘Operation Crocodile Smile’ will kick off from October 20 to December 31.

Though the Army Spokesperson Col Musa Sagir has said the exercise has no relationship with any lawful protest under any guise whatsoever, many have insinuated it was meant to break the protests.

"For the records, Exercise Crocodile Smile is a yearly exercise in the Nigerian Army calendar/forecast of events which traditionally holds from October to December of each year,” the statement read in part.