Members of the Association of Radio and Television Technicians of Anambra State, Iweka Street Electronics Market chapter, Onitsha, have called on Governor Chukwuma Soludo to prevail on his aides, including the Ocha Brigade operatives and the Onitsha Police Area Commander to stop further “harassment, intimidation, unlawful arrest and detention” of their leadership and members.
The chairman of the body, Chief Sabastine Ebilite, who addressed journalists, in Onitsha, in company with other members of the association, on Monday, particularly accused the Special Adviser to the Governor, on Markets, Chief Evaristus Uba, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Commerce and Markets, Mr Chinedu Ike and others.
Ebilite alleged that the officials had continued to harass the electronic market traders in total disobedience to orders of a court of competent jurisdiction stopping them from carrying out such an act.
He said the reason for the intimidation, unlawful arrest and unlawful detention of the traders was because of their refusal to relocate to a private market built by a businessman (name withheld) at the Harbour Industrial Layout Atani in Ogbaru Local Government Area.
He lamented that an injunction obtained by the traders from a Vacation Judge sitting in Awka, the state capital, which directed that status quo ante bellum should be maintained until the determination of their matter pending in the court, was flagrantly disobeyed.
He said the court also went ahead to interpret the order that the traders should remain at Iweka Road until the determination of the case.
He also alleged that despite this, the Managing Director of Ocha Brigade, Chief Uba Ike and the Onitsha Police Area Commander, had flouted the court order by constantly arresting their members and sealing their shops.
He said, “Unfortunately, last Friday, August 24, 2024, these people drafted a contingent of armed security operatives made up of the police, civil defence, masked vigilante men, arm-bearing Ocha Brigade operatives and invaded our business premises, shooting indiscriminately.
“In the process, they arrested about 15 persons, including a woman, took them to the Area Command, Onitsha, after sealing the market for the second time in a month from where they were transferred to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Awkuzu, the following day.
“But before this unfortunate incident, our Vice-Chairman, Israel Chukwudi, was arrested two weeks ago on trumped-up allegations of robbing somebody at gunpoint. He has been at Awkuzu for about two weeks now.”
“We did not contribute money for the building of the market they are asking us to relocate to. We are not in the same association with the person who built the market. There are no shops for us there. They just didn’t want us to exist as a union. But we registered our union since 2004. We went to Court and won. Court held that we have freedom of association, which did not augur well with them.
But in a swift reaction, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Trade and Market, Uba, said the state government did not want street trading, adding that traders should go to their markets and stop blocking the roads in the name of trading.
“The state government sealed off the electronics market over the refusal by the traders to relocate to their permanent site in Harbour Industrial Layout Atani, Ogbaru Local Government Area of the State. This is because the state government does not want street trading again,” he added.
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