Construction of illegal stores in markets across Anambra State has now become an annual ritual especially during the Christmas and New Year holidays when traders close their businesses and travel to their various villages to celebrate the birth of Christ Jesus.
This annual ritual of building illegal shops on motor parks, access roads and every available space in Anambra markets continued again this 2023, surprisingly during the Solution Government of Prof Chukwuma Soludo, the new Governor of Anambra State, as it happened during the time of his predecessors.
Last year it was Main Market Onitsha that some faceless land grabbers built shops in the few remaining open spaces in the market, this year it is the Electrical Dealers International Market, Obosi, Idemili North Anambra State, where the one year old market executive in collaboration with some faceless land grabbers are currently building illegal structures blocking plazas, shops, gates and access roads into the market.
Save for the intervention of some concerned individuals in the market, their would have been total breakdown of law and order, this was when few traders retuned from Christmas holiday and found to their chagrin that they can no longer access their shops and plazas in the market as a result of the ongoing construction of illegal structures in the market. Which resulted in some of them immediately taken law into their hands and threatened to destroy and hurt those erecting illegal stores in the market, until few opinion leaders intervened and pleaded for calm, assuring that the state government will intervene to stop the work.
According to some of the traders who pleaded anonymity while speaking to the press during a visit to the market, they said that, this is the first time shops in the market were closed for Christmas holiday on 27th December, unfortunately this illegality is what they returned to.
The a year old Electrical Dealers International Market’s Executive are accused of having illegally allocated lands and in collaboration with faceless land grabbers built illegal structures blocking four (4) number of plazas and forty (40) shops standing opposite the plazas, the structures also blocked the main second gate leading to the market and three small gate for pedestrian access.
Surprisingly, up till now, the Trustee members of the market, have not raised a voice in opposition or condemn the atrocities ongoing in the market.
There is a fear palpable in the market that as soon as traders return fully from Christmas holiday by Monday, January 9, 2023 there will be breakdown of law and order as most traders can not access their shops or even transport their heavy duty goods from their shops and plazas.
As it stands presently, to avoid blood bath in the market, the opinion leaders in the market are appealing to the state government and its agencies, to intervene immediately to stop the criminality going on in the market in order to avert total breakdown of law and order.
Irechukwu Ernest writes from Anambra State
