Anambra : Traders Protest SON #8m Extortion, Seal of Shops

By Julie Sylvia, Onitsha

Traders at Building materials market Ogidi/Ogbunike, Idemili and Oyi Local Government Areas, Anambra State, Friday. Protested alleged extortion and seal of shops by personnel of Standard Organization of Nigeria, SON, at about 10am.

Some of the traders carried placards with the inscriptions; “SON enough is enough, say no to illegal extortion by SON, SON stop intimidating us. SON stop demanding money from us. SON go to wharf not markets”, among others.

Addressing newsmen who stormed the scene, the spokesperson of the traders and chairman of Marvelous line. Mr. Kenneth Ofoegbunam said that, “SON came into our Market this morning to impound our goods and seal some shops because we refused to pay #8million extortion.

“They first came about three weeks ago and sealed four shops out of 30 shops they told us that they will seal or we pay #8million for offence they didn’t disclose to us. They said just pay #8million and and you are set free from embarrassment and we said no.

“Then after some days they came again with Civil Defence Corps personnel and we chased them away. Today they reinforced, came with five Hilux load of policemen, Civil Defence Corps, and other security men and made straight to the shops they sealed previously to impound the goods therein but we resisted them.

“They started shooting guns into the air to scare us and on the process made away with some goods estimated into millions of nàira. As I talk to you now the owners of the impounded goods have urged Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo to come to their rescue stating that the SON personnel should be confined only at the wharf and country boundaries and not markets,” he started.

Also reacting, the secretary of Success line in the market, Mr. Tochukwu Uduezue, lamented that SON personnel focused on markets instead of wharf adding that their interest is to extortion them.

“Governor Soludo’ should please come to our rescue because they are out to extort us. How can we pay #8million for us to be free from them. Where do we get the money from and what is our offence. The wharf and boundaries are there for them to operate in and not the markets.

“We are mere marketers and not importers and deal in genuine business with documents to back up our purchases. What they are doing is illegal and we will not relent in resisting the payment of #8million extortion,” he fumed.

Also a widow who simply identified herself as Mrs Okeke lamented that most women in the market have their goods impounded by SON for no just cause stating that until government comes to the rescue of the traders, the SON personnel have seen the market as oil well.

As at the time of filing this report most shops were under lock and key over fear of return of the officials for seizure of goods and seal of more shops.

In a swift reaction, the SON Director, Anambra Regional office, Mr. Mathias Bassey, denied alleged move to extort #8million from the traders even as he accused them of selling substandard building materials and roofing sheets.

“Our people have made efforts to see how to talk to them to see if they could turn around and buy what is right. Each time we go there they lock up their shops and run away. If they feel what they are doing is right why do they lock up their shops and run away,” he querried.

Pic shops cross sections of the protesters and police men that came with SON