One person was reportedly killed Wednesday, in a clash between Hausa traders and Operatives of the Delta State Capital Territory Development Agency Taskforce on demolition of makeshift market stalls at the Abraka axis of Asaba, overrun by traders.
Staff of the agency, swung into action, as the lockdown was lifted by the Delta State Governor, Mr. Ifeanyi Okowa.
The DSCTDA Taskforce, stormed into the popular commodity market to begin demolition of the dilapidated market but were swiftly resisted by a band of traders, who were mostly Hausa.
The situation worsened and degenerated into violence, compelling a team of security men assigned to the team to open fire, sporadically shooting into the air and hitting one trader, several others sustained various degrees of injuries.
Director of the DSCTDA, Hon. Mrs. Joan Mrakpor has told journalists at a press briefing that her office had formally served notice to the traders, three months ago, to relocate elsewhere.
The market sources, said, that the Hausa traders were particularly peeved by the government’s decision to relocate them from the flood-prone Oko community in the outskirts of Asaba, overlooking the Niger River.
“We rejected the new location area, because of the unsatisfactory state of the environment. It is a swamp and muddy terrain, prone to flood in the rainy season.
We were shocked this morning, when persons came to the market, as we were about to restart our businesses, after the government had relaxed the nearly two months market lockdown, because of the Coronavirus pandemic. Suddenly, they started shooting into the air, destroying the market.
“So most of the Hausa traders were angry and began to block and prevent the Task Force from destroying the market. It was during this scuffle, that one person was shot, while others were arrested”, a market source recounted.
The incident caused traffic gridlock on the popular Benin-Onitsha expressway and the presence of heavily armed anti-riot police, Civil Defense Corps, Immigration Officers and officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps.
Chukwugozie Okeke reporting, Obinwannem News
