Tension in Ogbaru market: Trader collapses, goes into coma

Palpable tension mounted yesterday among the traders at Ogbaru main market when a trader in the market allegedly collapsed and went into coma as a result of shock when he saw a combined team of policemen and Anambra State Markets Amalgamated Traders Association, ASMATA task force forcefully chasing elected executive members of the market out of office.
The trader whose identity was yet to be ascertained as at press time fell and became unconscious as a result of shock when he saw the drama going on between the market leaders and the combined team of policemen and the task force officials.

According to eyewitnesses, a combined team of policemen from Onitsha Area Command believed to have been sent by the Commissioner of Police and task force officials from ASMATA went into the market to install a caretaker committee set up by the state government recently to manage the affairs of the market, pending when an election would be conducted.

He was said to have been ferried to an undisclosed hospital with an ambulance for urgent medical attention.

The state government had in May, announced the dissolution of Ndubuisi Ochiogu-led executive who were elected by the traders in January towards the end of former Governor Willie Obiano’s administration to pilot the affairs of the market for the next four years.

But barely five months into their administration, the incumbent Governor Chukwuma Soludo administration which came into power in March, announced the dissolution of 32 markets executive in the state, including the Ochiogu-led executive members of Ogbaru main (Relief) market, Onitsha and constituted caretaker committees in their place.

The dissolution order did not go down well with the Ochiogu executive as he quickly approached a state High court asking it to restrain the state government from replacing them with the newly inaugurated caretaker committee, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive application.

The court presided over by Justice Alexious Okuma granted an interim injunction restraining the state government, including the Attorney-General of the state and Commissioner for Trade and Commerce, Dr. Christian Ngonadi from using the police and DSS to harass or forcefully remove Ochiogu executive from office till the determination of the suit.

But on Wednesday, the combined team of policemen and ASMATA task force stormed the market office and forcefully chased away the executive and installed David Obidike-caretaker committee in defiance of the court order.

The State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, told newsmen on phone that the policemen just assisted the state government in maintaining law and order in the market.

Senate alerts military over terrorists’dens in Kwara, Niger states

The Senate has identified terrorists’ camps in communities in three local government areas of Kwara and Niger states.

It urged the military to flush out the bandits and criminal elements in Kainji Lake National Park and the identified communities.

A statement by the Special Assistant (Press), to President of the Senate, Dr. Ezrel Tabiowo, named communities as Kaiama, Karonzi-Yashikira in Baruten local government, and Wawa and Babanna areas in Niger State.

The Senate, in its resolutions, yesterday mandated the Committees on Defence; Finance and National Planning to jointly inter-face with the Ministry of Defence to determine status of the establishment and funding of Army Barrack in Kaiama and Forward Operation Base, FOB, in Babanna in Kwara and Niger States, respectively.

The Senate urged the military authorities to carry out a comprehensive onslaught on bandits and other criminal elements within Kainji Lake National Park, especially Kaiama, Karonzi -Yashikira in Baruten local government, and Wawa and Babanna areas in Niger State.

According to the statement these formed part of resolutions reached by the Senate after it considered a motion on the “worsening insecurity in Kainji Lake National Park and existential threat to communities in Kaima, Baruten and Borgu Local Government in Kwara and Miger States.

The motion was sponsored by Senator Sadiq Sulieman Umar (Kwara North), and Co-sponsored by the Deputy Whip, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi (Niger North).

In his presentation, among others, Senator Umar said “Kidnapping and other forms of criminality are becoming a recurrent decimal in communities close to Kainji Lake National Park particularly Nanu. Nuku, Woro, Kale in Kaiama and Yashikira in Baruten local Government of Kwara State and some parts of Borgu Local Government in Niger State.

“This has led to people living in perpetual fear of either being kidnapped and or Killed by kidnappers suspected to be armed bandits.” (Vanguard)