04022017

14—SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 4, 2017
ALABA INTERNATIONAL MARKET UNDER SIEGE
Traders lament attacks from
armed robbers, hoodlums
•Cry out police, Lagos State Govt
BY EVELYN USMAN
The expression on the faces of anxious
traders at the popular Alaba
International market located in Ojo
area of Lagos, depicted that of despondency
and fear, as they went about their daily
sales.
The reason for the forlorn and gloomy
visage was attributed to the recent upsurge
in crimes ranging from looting of shops,
broad day robbery , intimidation and
harassment of traders and customers by
miscreants and cultists.
The traders traced the genesis of their
present predicament to an alleged attempt
by an erstwhile President of Fancy and
Furniture Dealers Association(names
withheld) to forcefully continue with
running the affairs of the market by
imposing
his loyalists on traders as executive
members.
Saturday Vanguard was reliably informed
that the incumbent chairman of the
association was nominated by a former
chairman. But things fell apart when the
incumbent was said to have refused to
dance to the tune of his godfather .
In a peaceful march to protest hoodlums’
excesses Wednesday, the traders lamented
their woes in the hands of these oppressors
who they alleged were hired by the former
chairman to cause unrest in the market.
The traders said that the action of the
miscreants was scaring customers away
from the acclaimed largest electronics
market in Nigeria.
Speaking with Saturday Vanguard, the
incumbent Chairman of Fancy and
Furniture Dealers Association and
President, Alaba Amalgamated Association
of Nigeria, Mr Emeka Mozoba, lamented
that “We are having security challenges in
Alaba market . Lives of people are in danger
as well as our goods because everyday we
have cases of robbery, snatching of phones.
A lot of atrocities are happening at he
market. People doing business are afraid,
nobody wants to talk because they don’t
want to fall victims to these hoodlums hired
by one man. The market is in disarray and
our lives are in danger”.
Petitions the Police
Mozoba stated that the association had
written several petitions to the Police but
he expressed regrets that there had been no
favourable response from the Police.
A copy of a recent letter of appeal for
police intervention made available to
•Protesting traders
People doing business
are afraid, nobody wants
to talk because they don’t
want to fall victims to
these hoodlums hired by
one man
Saturday Vanguard, was addressed to
the Deputy Commissioner of Police incharge
of the the State Criminal
Investigation and Intelligence Squad,
SCIID, dated January 20, 2017.
In the petition signed by the solicitor
to the association, Chinedu Nwosu,
members of executives of the association
recalled how miscreants allegedly
sponsored by the erstwhile chairman
threw caution to the wind two years ago,
invaded the market with dangerous
weapons and inflicted injuries on several
traders. It also stated that there were
plans by the miscreants to force the
incumbent executives out of office and
bring in loyalists to their sponsor to fill
the positions.
The statement read in part “our clients
have gathered that Azubuike Ekwerekwu
and his cohorts are bent on foisting on
the association his stooges through
which he intend to control the purse of
the association and they have resolved
among themselves to bring in touts to
the market to harass, intimidate
subjugate and quell any dissident voices
against their resolve to carry on with the
imposition of their loyalists on the
traders.
“Our clients informed us that these
people have threatened to snuff life out
of them if they make good their resolve
to resist them in the market but our
clients and genuine traders at the Fancy
and Furniture section of the market are
more than ever, resolved to put this
abrasion of one man to an end once and
for all time. And that is the very reason
for this petition”.
Chairman of the association, Mozoba
said “This man (alleged sponsor) in
question is not a real trader, he only owns
a property in Alaba . He is not the only
property owner in Alaba but he is
interested in the politics of the market.
He has sworn that if his candidate was
not the one managing the market, he
would remove the person.
His thugs intimidate and harass traders
in broad day light, wielding guns,
everybody is just afraid These thugs who
are also cultists will storm a trader’s shop,
brandishing their guns and collect
whatever they wanted.
The recent incident happened Thursday
last week, after two of the cultists invaded
my office, unknown to them that there
were policemen on surveillance from the
State Criminal Investigation and
Intelligence Department, who
subsequently arrested them. But they were
released next day by their sponsor’s
lawyer. Their sponsor had boasted that
he was untouchable and that he was
capable of killing somebody and would
get away with it”.
We have written several petitions to the
police but no action has been taken. We
sent copies of the petition to the DPO Ojo,
the Area Commander E, Festac, the Lagos
State Commissioner of Police and the
Inspector-General of Police”
.Lamentations
One of the traders, Samuel Echendo,
disclosed that he was attacked by
hoodlums right in his office last week.
According to him “I am one of those
attacked by these paid hoodlums who are
well known cultists. They stormed my
shop and ordered me to lie down, pointing
guns at me. After terrorising me, I went to
report at the union’s office. Since then,
they have been threatening me on the
phone for reporting them”.
Another victim of the hoodlums
molestation, Uchechukwu Chukwuma,
who is also a trader, said he was attacked
on December 24, 2016 and his phone
forcefully collected at gun point.
Chukwuma said “ As I was coming out
of the office at about 4pm, the hoodlums
led by Oyibo surrounded me and
collected my phone . Later, one Chidi
called me on the phone requesting for
N40,000 before the phone would be
released. I reported the matter at Ojo
division”.
One of the executive members,
Comrade Jude Osita, said that he was one
of those slammed with the sledge
hammer of the opposition camp,
following an allegation of robbery
levelled against him and eleven others.
He said “Twelve of us were wrongly
accused of being armed robbers in 2008
. But for the intervention of Justice Dada
of an Ikeja high court, who gave us
unconditional release through the DPP,
we would still be in prison for an offence
we knew nothing about. They almost
manipulated DPP into believing we were
armed robbers, all in a bid to take over
the affairs of the market.
Appeal for Police, government
intervention
Continuing, Chukwuma said : “As I
speak, we don’t have security in the
market. Last week this place was
surrounded by hoodlums. Their sponsor
paid them to come and sack the
incumbent chairman. We want
government to intervene because the
intimidation is much . Nobody is safe
any more. We generate revenue for the
state government. Billions of naira is
paid into government coffers from here.
Therefore, we deserve government’s
protection when the need arises. As an
international market , we deserve the
best security to checkmate excesses of
these paid hoodlums and cultists”.
On his part, Sir Cosmus Obi, who
claimed to be one of the founders of
Alaba International market
also called on the Police to rise up to
the present security challenge in the
market before it gets out of hand.
One of the former chairmen of the
association, Chief Ausgustine Okafor,
who frowned at the present situation in
the market, stated that if drastic
measures were not taken by security
agencies to address the present
situation, it could lead to a state of
anarchy.
He recalled that “When I was
chairman, it was peaceful. Everyone
desired to have an office in Fancy and
Furniture but at a point things changed,
as touts and hoodlums filled everywhere
in the market .
Today, I am appealing for the
intervention of security agencies to
come to our rescue by assisting us to
send these hoodlums who have their
abode inside this market packing. They
are terrorising my people and nobody
is happy any more. Sometimes, they
terrorise people with guns, machetes
and all sorts of weapons. If the Lagos
state government can’t address it, then
the federal government should rise up
to the occasion , after all the duty of
government is to defend its people”.
Reaction
Investigation by Saturday Vanguard
revealed that the alleged sponsor of the
thugs, left the market last year, when
the accusation became over bearing.
Since then, he has reportedly not been
seen around Alaba.
In a swift reaction, the man at the
centre of controversy, Ekwerekwu
described the claim by the traders as
false.
He explained rather that “there was
no election that brought in the man who
claims to be the incumbent chairman.
The former chairman was accused of
misappropriation of funds and the
stakeholders led by me, appointed the
present man.
He further explained that in less than
one month in office, some startling
discoveries were made on Mazoba
which prompted him (Ekwerekwu) to
advice his anointed candidate to step
down.
Continuing , he said “Eight members
of his executives who challenged him
on the matter were chased out and he
appointed other people to take their
positions. The issue is that he feels
threatened that we will move him out . I
am the biggest stakeholder in that
market and I own most of the shops there.
Tell me, how do I throw stones where I
have property? Besides, I am no longer
there with them, I have moved to the
Island. The police are there to investigate,
let him go to them. If I am invited, I will
make myself available”, he said.