They could’ve killed me, Market Leader Narrates Ordeal

I would have been a dead man but for the compassion of God. So were the words of a market leader and Chairman of Ajasa Traders Association, Onitsha, Chief Chima Ohia.

Ohia who was narrating his ordeal in the hands of thugs, while speaking to correspondent in Onitsha, said he was attacked by one Ikechukwu Umeanozie, and his thugs, who inflicted injuries on him.

I would have been a dead man but for the mercy of God, he said, adding that if anyone had told him what he would pass through in the hands  of Umeanozie and his boys, that he would not have believed it.

Worse he added, was that the attack happened in the presence of in the presence of the  chairman of Onitsha North  Local Government Area, Hon. Onichie Ozonma 

He said “Ozonma called me when I was already going to a meeting at ASMATA (Anambra State Markets Amalgamated Traders) office and asked me to join him to decongest streets around Ose Market”.

Ozonma according to Ohia also said that he received call from the Chief of Staff to the Governor that   Ajasa and other street Markets were  congested and that they should embark on decongesting it.

“We began to decongest the Market from Ajasa to Ajasa junction by Emejulu. Before we reached the end of Emejulu, one Umeanozie thugs   stopped me and asked me what I was doing and who I was? I told him, don’t you know me again? Didn’t you see the Local Government Chairman I am moving with?. He immediately slapped me and I queried him why he should slap me. He said, if I talk again he would slap me again”

“I complained to the local government Chairman of what the thug did to me. The Chairman queried them what was my offense and what prompted them to slap me? One of the thugs who was holding gun in his hands cocked it. For me to look around, I saw the Ose Okwuodu Market Chairman, Mr. Umeanozie. He commanded his thugs to beat me. He first punched me on my eyes and blood started gushing”

“When I saw  that one of them has already cocked  his gun and several beatings landing  all over my body, some hitting  and beating me with stones and various other weapons,  I ran to one nearby shop and hid myself with blood all over me.

“I was at the hiding place when I heard sound of gun. In the process of beating me, they confiscated my (N300,000) with two cellphones” said Ohia.

He further said that he could not explain what prompted Mr. Umeanozie to attack him in such manner, and that he had never had any quarrel over any matter with him before then.

“People said that Umeanozie’s annoyance was why should I trespass in his area. But I did not go there on my own. I was helping in decongesting roads with the local government Chairman. I was not there with any weapon or thugs that could warrant him to attack me with his thugs”

Further stating that “I would have been A dead man”, he added the same thugs threatened to beat the local government Chairman who was amazed and eager to know exactly what he did that warranted them to beat me.

His entourage however prevented them from carrying out their threat as chairman ordered for the arrest of one of them before they took off.

The Ajasa Market Chairman stated that Umeanozie has taken more than required, pointing out that he has taken leadership of Ose okwodu Market as his personal property or his father’s inheritance.

He called Prof. Soludo to intervene before Umeanozie kills someone at Ose Okwuodu.

When called to react on the allegations, Uneanozue denied ever beating Mr Ohia, never embarrassing Onitsha North Local Government chairman.

He said: “I don’t know what you are saying. Did you ask him if I was there? Where was he when he was beaten?

But the chairman of Onitsha North Local Government Area, Onochie Ozonma, who was with Ohia in the decongestion exercise confirmed the incident, saying that it was Umeanozie that punched Ohia in the face first followed by his security officer.

He said he himself was also molested by the chairman and his boys when he tried to intervene.

According to him, Umeanozie queried why he as the Local Government chairman  should come to the market, in the face of a prevailing instruction for them to desist from stepping there.

The Eagle correspondent understands that both the Chairman of local government and Ajasa Chairman reported the matter to Central Police station (CPS) Onitsha and Area Command but Umeanozie had refused to report to the Police.