Tension: Anambra market leader escapes death, as thugs attack, loot shops

From Aloysius Attah, Onitsha

APGA Chieftain and erstwhile Chairman of Emordi Shoe Dealers Association, Ochanja market, Onitsha,Tochukwu Anigbogu escaped death by the whiskers yesterday as thugs allegedly loyal to a former market leader, Chief Nwabueze Umeh attacked him with dangerous weapons leaving him in the  pool of his  blood and gasping for breath.

Though Umeh denied the allegations when contacted, Anigbogu, a former councilor in Njikoka Ward II, stakeholder of APGA and member of the Soludo / Ibezim Campaign Council,  who worked for the re-election of Governor Soludo, was elected chairman of the Emordi Shoe dealers alongside eight other executives on November 20, 2025, in an election supervised by the officials of Onitsha South local government .

Surprisingly, the state government through the Special Adviser on Markets Development, Evarist Uba later nullified the election and inaugurated a caretaker committee to oversee the affairs of the market.

Anigbogu and his group have since gone to court to challenge the action contending that they were duly elected with the mandate of the traders as a sub market association within Ochanja General main market.

But trouble deepened yesterday, when Anigbogu led some policemen from the SCID Awka to effect  the arrest of some traders in the market,who instigated the attack on their leadership and disrupted their prayer session and handover ceremony on December 5, 2025, whom a case of assault has been established against ,  when a free for all ensued .

In the process, armed men and thugs loyal to Umeh reportedly descended on Anigbogu, beat him to stupor and inflicted bodily injuries on him with cutlass and axes causing him grievous harm and broken skull.

A  witness account said that Anigbogu was rushed to a nearby hospital for medical attention, but his attackers also stormed the facility to continue their attack but were prevented by the hospital security. He was later evacuated to another facility on discreet measures to save his life.

Speaking  from the undisclosed medical facility where he is  receiving treatment , Anigbogu disclosed that Chief Nwabueze Umeh popularly known as Ofiafuluagu Okija  hijacked the affairs of the Emordi Shoe Dealers for the past nine years when he refused to hand over after the expiration of his tenure.

He alleged that Ofia had before now also failed to account for the multi million naira 450 plots of land acquired by the traders under his leadership at Oba and another 100 shops built by the traders for expansion of their market.

He said that he escaped death by the whiskers as his attacker led by Ofia descended on him with dangerous weapons and later invaded his three shops in the market and carted away goods and cash stacked inside those shops.

When contacted for his reaction,  Nwabueze Umeh (Ofiafuluego) denied all allegations levelled against him by Anigbogu. He said instead that it was Anigbogu that came to attack him in his own office, but those who were at the scene decided to retaliate and pay him in his own coin. Let him go and settle any issue he has with government and not me because government has constituted a caretaker committee in the market” he said.

Meanwhile, Anigbogu and his executive members have filed a pre-action notice in court and also petitioned relevant government agencies geared towards restoring their leadership.

Counsel to the Registered Trustees of Emordi Shoe Dealers Association,  Ugo Ugwunnadi filed a Suit at Onitsha High Court against Chief Friday Nwabueze Umeh and 13 others.