By Etop Ekanem

EFFURUN market women in Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State, yesterday, wrote to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State over alleged plans by the Uvwie council to eject or domolish their 40 lock-up stores, with a demand of N500,000 when the case is still in court.

The market women had also planned to embark on a peaceful protest to the Government House in Asaba and state House of Assembly to ask why Uvwie local government council wants to eject or demolish their lockup stores and alleged demand of N500,000 with January ending 2022 ultimatum.

A trader in the market, Mrs. Ella Nwankwo, who said her mother in-law is also a victim of this market issues is appealing to the governor and the leadership of the Delta State House of Assembly to intervene and prevail on the Uvwie council Chairman, Ramson Onoyake, not to demolish their lockup stores approved to them by the same government over two decades ago.

Nwankwo said the occupants of the 40 lockup stores had sometime in 1993, applied to the Okpe council, Orerokpe, when Uvwie local council was not yet created, adding that then the stores were  not completed when allocated to them, and they were built with their  hard earned money to complete them.

Another source at the market who pleaded anonymity for fear of victimization, said those from the Uvwie council who had attended one of the proceedings at the court sitting denied any plan to demolish the lockup stores.

The source called on the state governor and the Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly to come to their aid before things get out of hand with this ultimatum of January 2022 ending to pay N500,000 into a bank account.

Meanwhile, the council chairman, Ramson Onoyake when contacted said he could not speak on the issue since the case is before the Effurun High Court of Justice.