Traders at the popular market known as Eke-Obianagu market in Enugu East Local Government Area of Enugu State on Thursday morning cried profusely as bulldozers rumbled through the market, destroying shops, stalls and prostitute abode inside the market.
According to information gathered by Obinwannem News, the decision to demolish the market by the state government is to expand that portion of road belonging to the federal government to aid easy movements of people and vehicles.
However, Eke-Obianagu market is located along Enugu-Abakiliki r
highway, has been a source of traffic tie-up in the area.
The operation which lasted for several hours was supervised by hordes of security agents, mainly the police men.
Apart from many traders and pedestrians are said to have been knocked down by vehicles while crossing the ever-busy road.
The Chairman of Eke-Obinagu Market Traders Association,
Willie Okolo, who spoke newsmen, expressed sadness over the demolition of the market, adding that his members incurred loses running into several millions of naira.
He said that though the state government had earlier informed the traders that the market will be demolished, however, no date was given for the exercise.
“The government would have told us that they are coming to demolish the market today, so that my members will remove their goods to a safe place.
“The government also told us that they will get the permanent site of the market ready before demolishing the Eke-Obinagu market, but as we speak, the permanent site is not yet ready.
“In fact, the new market which the Obinagu-Nike community is building is sited on a swampy location. The state government promised to sand fill the permanent site, but they are yet to do so,” Okolo said.
He appealed to the Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi-led administration to come to the aid of the traders by providing them with a permanent site, as well as compensating those whose goods were destroyed following the demolition of the Eke-Obinagu market.
“We campaigned for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led-government in 2015 as well as 2019, and voted massively for the party, so the government cannot allow us to be stranded.” Okolo said.
Ijeoma Njokun reporting, Obinwannem News /August 15, 2021
