MORE THAN 150 traders from the Progress Market Extension, who operate on Haruna, Niger, and Ifejika Streets in Odoakpu Onitsha, called on Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo on Monday to persuade Mr. Emeka Orji, Chairman of the Onitsha South Local Government Area’s Transition Committee, to postpone plans to demolish their legally acquired stores.
The traders also requested that the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corp, NSCDC, Commander, 302 Artillery Regiment Commander, and the Police Area Command Onitsha not carry out the alleged illegal demolition.
In response to the area’s increasing commercial profile, the traders vowed to thwart any attempt by the council area authority to have their stores demolished. The traders claimed that the council area authority wants to get rid of their legally acquired stores in order to clear the drainage system while also planning to sell them to the highest bidder.
A letter from the Onitsha South Local Government Authority to the traders, dated June 15, 2023, and signed by Mr. P. Onuachala, Special Duties Adviser for the Onitsha South Local Government Chairman, gave the traders 48 hours to dismantle the shops in order to protect their goods and materials from being demolished or subject to enforcement action.
The traders responded to the letter, Re “Final Notice to Remove shops at Progress Market Extension near Haruna Street Odoakpu Onitsha,” through their attorneys, Chief Ikenna Egbuna, SAN, and Mr. C.M. Obijagwa, Esq, respectively, claiming that their stores were not situated on the drainage system where the state government is carrying out expansion work or that they were obstructing the ongoing construction of a bridge in the area.
The traders also informed Governor Soludo, the Commissioner of Police, the Army Commander in Onitsha, and the NSCDC Commander in the state in a letter that was sent through Mr. Obijagwa and copied to the Governor, the Police, the Army, and the NSCDC that the State Government and the contractor in charge of the projects had marked out and destroyed any structures in the market that were built on drainage systems or that were obstructing work in the area.
We question why the Onitsha South council authority wants to carry out additional demolition if not for personal gain because, according to the letter, neither the state government nor the project contractor have informed our clients of any further demolition. They have already destroyed some stalls that were on the drainage system.
The traders therefore made an appeal to the Governor, the Police, the Army, and the NSCDC to summon the Onitsha South LGA authority to order and asked the security organizations they planned to hire for the job to refrain from getting involved in any act that would undermine law and order in Onitsha.
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“We are therefore requesting that the head of the Onitsha South Council grant peace a chance in our market. We are paying all necessary levies and taxes to the State and local government, and we are prepared to thwart any attempt to evict us using any pretext related to our market shops.”
Traders stated in another letter written by Chief Egbuna, SAN, “We got approval from both the Onitsha South Local Government and Anambra State Government to construct our shops after the Town Engineer and HOD, Works and the then Unit Head, Environmental Health in the council area had given their approval for construction of the shops. Therefore, we wonder why anyone will be planning to depossess us our shops on the pretest of decongestion of drainage.
The traders gave reporters the Council Area, Confirmation of the Ownership of Shops letter dated July 24, 2020, issued by the LGA authority to some traders, including Mr. Edozie Orji, Facemore Nigeria Limited, Mr. Emmanuel Idoko & Leonard Oko. These letters were issued by the Onitsha South Local Government Shop Construction Approval for Progress Market Extension, dated September 5, 2013, May 12, 2015, and Application for reconstruction of 14 shops, dated February 5, 2018.
In order to inform him that the traders have received clearance/approval letters for construction dated May 12, 2015 and other documents from the LGA and the State government allowing them to build their shops, Chief Egbnuna, SAN, told the chairman of the Council Transtutoon Committee that he had to write to him before taking any personal legal action against him.
“May we draw your attention to the fact that the topic of your letter is being litigated in Appeal No. CA/AWK/263/2021, according to testimony from Onitsha South LGA in the High Court 1 Onitsha. We are shocked that the Respondent in that Appeal is funding the Council Area to demolish the stores owned by our clients.
He is attempting to use Onitsha South Local Government in order to obtain a remedy that he is aware he cannot obtain in court.
Keep in mind that the Council Area and the State government gave their approval to every building project in the market. If you dare to carry out the demolition, you will be in contempt of court, and we reserve the right to sue you personally.
