Anambra market opposition chairman was never attacked by Agunechemba security outfit – former scribe

By Julie Sylvia, Onitsha

The former Secretary of Ozomagala Building Materials, Onitsha South Local Government area, Anambra state, Chief Hycienth Obasi, has denied the allegation that the market opposition chairman, Tochukwu Umeh, was assaulted by the Anambra State Government security outfit, Agunechemba, on the orders of the incumbent market chairman, Chief Obiora Okoro.

According to Obasi, “It was not true that Umeh, the opposition chairman in the market was assaulted by Okoro, the incumbent market chairman, Okoro went for burial ceremony at Nsukka, Enugu state, on the day of the incident, that was last Friday.

“What really happened was that the opposition chairman is a stooge to the former chairman of the market, Okechukwu Muojekwu and both with their cohorts, are fighting to remove our chairman, Chief Obiora Okoro and we said no that Okoro is God-sent to us.

“Okoro procured the 10 plazas we are using today at #70million, #7million per plaza, for 50 years lease and the traders are happy because we don’t have money to buy one plaza at over #200million now.

“This opposition because they are interested in selling our market knowing that it is only if they are in leadership that it will be possible, and so they went to Special Adviser , (SPAD), and were illegally inaugurated because we defeated them in court as the Court ruled that Obiora Okoro remains the market chairman.

“They have gone to the police in Onitsha and zone 13 Awka and were told to give peace a chance that Obiora Okoro is the elected chairman and remains elected as court ordered unless they, opposition want to go to jail.

“As the police didn’t give them the support, they went to the Governor Chukwuma Soludo Special Adviser on Trade and Market, (SPAD) who despite court judgement, inaugurated them as caretaker committee and the traders refused, including the Onitsha South local Government chairman, Hon. Emeka Orji, who told them that court order must be obeyed.

“Having failed, they went to Physical Urban Planning and reported that our 10 plazas are collapsing because of cracks that they should be demolished to save lives. What they have in mind is to frustrate the traders since we won them in court

“The physical planning authority came and find out that it was only plaza No 77, that has problem and will be demolished. As we are waiting for physical planning authority, just last Friday, Umeh and his cohorts started ringing bell that the whole traders should come out that all the plazas are to be demolished.

“As they were still ringing the bell, the market security rushed and collected the bell from Umeh, telling him that he has no right to ring the bell that there is a team responsible for that and more over the matter is in court, that the Physical planners did not say all plazas but only one and that they, the physical planning authority will do the demolition not the traders.

“Umeh then started dragging the security gun with the security man that took the bell from him and on the process of dragging the gun, the security men started flogging him to leave the gun which resulted in Umeh sustaining injury. The market chairman was at Nsukka for the burial when this incident occurred.

“You know Umeh will always accuse the incumbent chairman, Okoro, of perpetrating the injuries he sustained to nail him and have his way but it is not possible because the traders saw what happened.

“Umeh, Muojekwu and others did not even pay the #180,000 each trader paid to procure the lease of #70million in 50 years, Muojekwu has no shop in the market and Umeh is not even a member of the market and is about two years in the market and did not even know how we procured the lease,” the former secretary further disclosed.

Corraborating the position of the Secretary, the incumbent chairman, Okoro said, “I didn’t know what transpired on the fateful day because I was at Nsukka for a burial ceremony. Court gave us judgement that Umeh and cohorts should step aside that what they are doing is contempt of court . What they are accusing me of by calling Agunechemba is to blackmail the good work of the governor and local government chairman in security wise.

“Again, I can’t invite Agunechemba to assist me because I am not in good terms with them. I can recall when SPAD led them to my office and they ransacked the entire balance and took 10 of my executives to their cell in Awka where they spent four days. So how can I invite them to my market,” he stated.

“I saw in the social media report where opposition said we are Building material traders at Ozomagala and let me correct that impression, ‘we are an association, not market, we are under the plazas of Modebe Enterprises, Ozomagala”

A member of the market, Brother Nathaniel Chukwuemeka lamented that touts have frustrated them from carrying out their business in the market and commended Okoro for procuring the plazas for them.

“An Onitsha High court Presided over by Justice Nweze, has ordered that Okoro remains the chairman, still these people because they want to extort and sell the plazas, have continued to pressurise , they have gone to police, Urban planning, court and failed, now they have resorted to use of the media,” he revealed.