By Praise Chinecherem
The Chairman of Oseokwodu market, Onitsha, Anambra State, Chief Ikechukwu Umeanozie, has described weekend’s protest to merge Ajasa Street market with Oseokwodu market as sponsored to tarnish his image, extort traders and cause crisis.
He alleged that the woman who led the protest against him was sponsored by a sacked chairman of Oseokwodu market, Chief Anthony Onwuetiaka.
“The woman leader was sponsored by the sacked chairman of Oseokwodu market, Chief Anthony Onwuetiaka, who was sacked along side others, by the State Government over flawed election in the market.
“As chairman of Oseokwodu market Onwuetiaka collected sanitation levy of 6,500 shops and did not pay the amount into State Government coffers and I told the Commerce and Industry Commissioner, Hon. Obinna Ngonadi, and since then he started fighting me and causing problems in Oseokwodu market.
“I won his candidate in the chairmanship election, he is behind the protest because he vowed to divide Oseokwodu market by using his power as an executive member of Anambra State Markets Amalgamated Traders Association, ASMATA.
“On that day of protest my taskforce team was clearing the road so that vehicles would be plying the road, but Madam Black he sponsored to protest the clearing, started attacking the team.
“She came out with drug addicts who started shooting into the air indiscriminately and shouting that Ajasa Street market was not under Oseokwodu market. She fought the taskforce team and when my security men came those hard drug addicts ran away,” he hinted.
Umeanozie accused the woman leader of plot to impose #6,000 security levy on each trader and staying in the market beyond 6.30pm official time, hinting that so many shops had been burgled and wares looted at Ajasa Street market because of keeping late hours, as they illegally close between 10pm to 10.30pm.
Contacted, Chief Onwuetiaka denied the allegations leveled against him and decribed them as those of a drowning man, stating that Ajasa Street market is independent.
He accused Umeanozie of being selfish and money conscious which made him to extend his hand to Ajasa market as avenue of money realization.
Denying sponsoring the protest by the traders, mostly widows, he said that it was spontaneous as Umeanozie with his team came to forcefully take over the market and the traders fought back and embarked on protest.
He added that Umeanozie’ security men shot indiscriminately to forcefully take over the market which resulted in stampede and scores injured in the process.
