Traders along Mbaise road had a faceoff with the Imo state Entraco officials on Friday. Some of the traders who spoke to News Echo disclosed that Entraco officials seized some of their goods while others were destroyed and burnt by the agency taskforce. According to reports from some of the traders who spoke on anonymity indicated that fracas broke out when the Entraco boss came to the popular Mbaise road and Douglas Market where most Hausas trade and instructed them and other road side traders along the Market to vacate the place within one hour, on hearing the information, a particular Hausa man identified as Hamza got infuriated by the directives brought out his knife and mobilized others to resist the officials, the action led to a shot out by the security men that accompanied the Entraco.
According to an eye witness report, the taskforce led by the Entraco General Manager and one of the governor’s special Adviser, Chinasa Nwaneri returning to Douglas Market ordered road side sellers along Douglas road to vacate the road within the next one hear or face the consequences, this Sam order was given to Traders at Mbaise Road and Ama-Hausa Market. When NewsEcho visited the scene, the traders said their goods were confiscated by the officials while some tables and barrows belongings to some of the road side traders were set on fire.
Some of the onlookers who spoke to our reporter about the incident said the government has warned the traders against road side trading and directed them to relocate to New Market. Some of the traders who complained about the new directives said that the situation will affect them badly as the business they do is their source of livelihood, they pleaded that the government should allow them some time to still trade at the area seeing that there is hardship in the country.
They said, it’s better for them to do a legitimate business than to indulge in crimes to make ends meet. According to some of them the taskforce went to the extent of locating packing stores where people keep their goods to confiscate them.
The popular Douglas Market became like a war zone as the Entraco and some of the youths allegedly indigenes of Owerri were parading the area, brandishing knives and other weapons to scare people aware to enforce the order.
At the process, a particular shop owned by an Hausa man where drinks are been sold was vandalized and most of the drinks parked there were destroyed as some of the drinks were discovered to has expired and could pose serious problem to consumers. The goods were also carted away by Entraco. All efforts made to speak with the Entraco boss and the governor’s aid proved abortive as at the time of filling this report.
