A popular market along the SARS Road in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State has been shut following the killing of a man identified as Ejike by a group of meat sellers allegedly from the North.
Eyewitnesses in the Obio/Akpor International Market, popularly called Amaechi Market, told our correspondent on Tuesday that the attackers, numbering over 20, stabbed Ekije multiple times with daggers.
Our correspondent learnt that peeved by the development, the women began mobilising on Monday and protested at the Obio/Akpor council headquarters to register their displeasure and fears, calling on the council chairman to intervene.
The protesting women said they no longer felt safe in the market due to the violent activities of the traders, who they also accused of dealing in illicit drugs behind the market.
One of the women, who refused to be identified, said, “One man is dead, and the person who tried to rescue Ejike is in the hospital in a coma. These people should leave our market for us so that peace can reign. Now, the market has been shut down because of what happened,
So, we want peace. Women have been crying since Sunday that this boy was stabbed. More than 20 of them confronted this boy. It was a small issue, and they started pursuing the boy. He fell down, and they started stabbing him. It was on Sunday, so not everybody came to the market. They said they were dragging N500.”
Another trader who refused to mention her name for fear of being identified said, “When we close from the market, sometimes, we don’t meet with things the same the next day.
They break our shops, steal our things. We don’t need them again in this market. They sell drugs behind the market and do all sorts of things. Let the government help us and push them out of this market because we are not safe.”
The chairman of the market, C.P. Oburu, who said he was informed about the incident while in church, told PUNCH Metro that he was pronounced dead at a hospital in the area.
He said, “When I got the call while I was in church, I ran to the scene of the crime and discovered that he (Ejike) was not having life in him. The doctor confirmed him dead when we rushed him to the hospital.
“From there, we went to the police. I met the Divisional Police Officer, who said we should take the body to the mortuary and gave us a patrol team. We returned. This morning, the market women staged a protest at the council.”
He confirmed that the local government authority and the police had since sealed the market and made some arrests, saying the market would remain closed until further notice.
0 Comments