There was a heavy protest at Ariaria international market on Tuesday by original owners of shops that were demolished by the former government of Dr Okezie Ikpeazu. The traders, who said they were forced out of their shops by the former administration in the name of market remodeling, cried out their shops were re-allocated to strange persons by the Ikpeazu government after the remodeling works.
According to the distraught traders, most of them were displaced from A-Line, B-Line and Medicine line of Ariaria by agents of the Abia State government and the government contractor handling the project, with a promise that they would be re-allocated their shops on completion of the new structures.
But the traders during the protest, regretted that most of them were never given new shops even after paying money to former government representatives and government -appointed market executive. They further lamented that after the remodeling of Ariaria, the prices for shops were placed at between N6 million and N7 million naira which were unaffordable to the original owners of the shops.
“Strange buyers, moneybags, government agents and other individuals were given our shops . Some of us had two or three shops before the demolition of our former shops and we were assured that we will be compensated with new shops but they never gave us anything.
A former Vice Chairman of Ariaria, Hon Frank Moses who participated in the protest, pleaded with Governor Alex Otti to ensure that justice is given to over 2,000 shop owners who were allegedly stripped of their assets by the former administration.
“Some of our members are dead or suffering from sicknesses as a result of shocks they got from their destroyed shops”, the former Ariaria market Vice Chairman said. It would be recalled that the immediate past government of Dr Okezie Ikpeazu assured the traders that original shop owners would enjoy priority during shop allocation in the new market.
The position of the former administration was made known by the former Commissioner for Trade and Investment, Chief John Okeiyi Kalu who also explained that the remodeling of some parts of Ariaria was to control erosion menace in market.
