Ogbete market CSO narrates ordeal
From Magnus Eze, Enugu
At least four Ogbete market traders were last Wednesday evening, arraigned before an Enugu North Magisterial District Court for protesting the sealing of their shops by the State Government for allegedly not coming to market on a Monday.
Ezebinagu Kasie, 45; Eze Patrick, 53; Friday Ani, aka Ozuome 47 and Ogbu Jude Nkem, 37, who were slammed with three count charge in the case between them and the Commissioner of Police.
On July 27, 2023, security agents deployed to Ogbete Main Market reportedly killed at least a trader and injured several others when traders took to the streets to protest the sealing of their shops by the government for not opening for business the previous Monday.
Since September 9, 2021, when the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) called for sit-at-home protest every Monday in the South East to force the Nigerian government release its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, many businesses hardly opened on Mondays.
IPOB, however, made a U-turn by cancelling the sit-at-home order, but this position was ignored by the auto-version of the group led by Finland-based Simon Ekpa.
Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah on assumption of office pronounced a ban on sit-at-home, insisting that the protest was ruining the economy of the state.
He consequently, warned that any business, market, or school that failed to open on Mondays would be shut down indefinitely.
On Monday, July 24, government officials went into the Ogbete Main Market and sealed shops whose owners did not show up on that day, accusing such business owners of supporting the “illegal sit-at-home.”
However, the police charged the four traders with offences bordering on conspiracy, promoting local war, and carrying warlike against the Chairman of the market traders association and the state government.
The trial magistrate ordered that the suspects be remanded at the Enugu Correctional Custodial Centre and adjourned the case till further notice, claiming the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the case.
Meanwhile, one of the suspects, Ezebinagu, who is the Chief Security Officer of the market, has alleged that he is being punished for no just cause.
He said that he was in his shop on Monday, July 24, when the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia accompanied by officials of the Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority (ECTDA) sealed 57 shops of defaulters in the market: “On the 25th of July, Tuesday, the OMMTA Chairman called me and told me not to allow anyone to go into the shops that were sealed and I told him that the seals had been removed and it will be difficult for us to know the actual shops that were sealed. So, he said okay; that he knew that the seals were removed.
“At about 3pm on same Tuesday, the local government chairman of Enugu North called me and asked me to go and eject the people that opened and occupied the shops that were sealed by the governor. But I advised him that it will not be good; that it will trigger problem in the market. He then asked me to go and meet with the OMMTA Chairman. I went to our office and met the chairman on the matter. He repeated what the Local Government Chairman said and I also advised him that it will not be a good idea. He now brought out two pieces of papers and handed to me and said that those shop numbers are the defaulters. The shops were 57 in number. He gave me N15,000 through our cleaner in the office.
“I gave one of my boys the money to go and buy padlocks, he bought 5 dozen of padlocks. The chairman asked me to lock the whole shops with the inscription: “Locked and sealed by Enugu State Government by OMMTA Chairman,” he gave me. We locked the shops and told him that they had been locked.
“I arrived at the market around 7:00am that Wednesday. At about 8:00am, my security boys who were in the field told me that some people that have shops at that place were gathering, I quickly called my chairman to inform him and he said he was coming. I called the DSS officer in charge of Enugu North and also called the DPO CPS.”
According to him, the protesters were peaceful until the “armoured tank came and shot someone.”