•Cry out police, Lagos State Govt

By Evelyn Usman

The expression on the faces of anxious traders at the popular Alaba International market located in Ojo area of Lagos, depicted that of despondency and fear, as they went  about their daily sales.

The reason for the forlorn and gloomy visage was attributed to the recent upsurge in crimes ranging from looting of shops, broad day robbery , intimidation and harassment of traders and customers by miscreants and cultists.

The traders traced the genesis of their present predicament to an alleged attempt by an erstwhile President of Fancy and Furniture Dealers Association(names withheld) to forcefully continue with running the affairs of the market by imposing

his loyalists on traders as executive members.

Saturday Vanguard was reliably informed that the incumbent chairman of the association was nominated by a former chairman. But things fell apart when the incumbent was said to have refused to dance to the tune of his godfather .

In a peaceful march to protest hoodlums’ excesses Wednesday, the traders lamented their woes in the hands of these oppressors who they alleged were hired by the former chairman to cause unrest in the market.

The traders said that the action of the miscreants was scaring customers away from the acclaimed largest electronics market in Nigeria.

Speaking with Saturday Vanguard, the incumbent Chairman of Fancy and Furniture Dealers Association and President, Alaba Amalgamated Association of Nigeria, Mr Emeka Mozoba, lamented that “We are having security challenges in Alaba market . Lives of people are in danger as well as our goods because everyday we have cases of robbery, snatching of phones. A lot of atrocities are happening at he market. People doing business are afraid, nobody wants to talk because they don’t want to fall victims to these hoodlums hired by one man. The market is in disarray and our lives are in danger”.

Petitions the Police

Mozoba stated that the association had written several petitions to the Police but he expressed regrets that there had been no favourable response from the Police.

A copy of a recent letter of appeal for police intervention made available to Saturday Vanguard, was addressed to the Deputy Commissioner of Police in- charge of the the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Squad, SCIID, dated January 20, 2017.

In the petition signed by the solicitor to the association, Chinedu Nwosu, members of executives of the association recalled how miscreants allegedly sponsored by the erstwhile chairman threw caution to the wind two years ago, invaded the market with dangerous weapons and inflicted injuries on several traders. It also stated that there were plans by the miscreants to force the incumbent executives out of office and bring in loyalists to their sponsor to fill the positions.

•Protesting traders

The statement read in part “our clients have gathered that Azubuike Ekwerekwu and his cohorts are bent on foisting on the association his stooges through which he intend to control the purse of the association and they have resolved among themselves to bring in touts to the market to harass, intimidate subjugate and quell any dissident voices against their resolve to carry on with the imposition of their loyalists on the traders.

“Our clients informed us that these people have threatened to snuff life out of them if they make good their resolve to resist them in the market but our clients and genuine traders at the Fancy and Furniture section of the market are more than ever, resolved to put this abrasion of one man to an end once and for all time. And that is the very reason for this petition”.

Chairman of the association, Mozoba said “This man (alleged sponsor) in question is not a real trader, he only owns a property in Alaba . He is not the only property owner in Alaba but he is interested in the politics of the market. He has sworn that if his candidate was not the one managing the market, he would remove the person.

His thugs intimidate and harass traders in broad day light, wielding guns, everybody is just afraid These thugs who are also cultists will storm a trader’s shop, brandishing their guns and collect whatever they wanted.

The recent incident happened Thursday last week, after two of the cultists invaded my office, unknown to them that there were policemen on surveillance from the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, who subsequently arrested them. But they were released next day by their sponsor’s lawyer. Their sponsor had boasted that he was untouchable and that he was capable of killing somebody and would get away with it”.

We have written several petitions to the police but no action has been taken. We sent copies of the petition to the DPO Ojo, the Area Commander E, Festac, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police and the Inspector-General of Police”

.Lamentations

One of the traders, Samuel Echendo, disclosed that he was attacked by hoodlums right in his office last week. According to him “I am one of those attacked by these paid hoodlums who are well known cultists.  They stormed my shop and ordered me to lie down, pointing guns at me. After terrorising me, I went to report at the union’s office. Since then, they have been threatening me on the phone for reporting them”.

Another victim of the hoodlums molestation, Uchechukwu Chukwuma, who is also a trader, said he was attacked on December 24, 2016 and his phone forcefully collected at gun point.

Chukwuma said “ As I was coming out of the office at about 4pm, the hoodlums led by Oyibo surrounded me and collected my phone . Later, one Chidi called me on the phone requesting for N40,000 before the phone would be released. I reported the matter at Ojo division”.

One of the executive members, Comrade Jude Osita, said that he was one of those slammed with the sledge hammer of the opposition camp, following an allegation of robbery levelled against him and eleven others.

He said “Twelve of us were wrongly accused of being armed robbers in 2008 . But for the intervention of Justice Dada of an Ikeja high court, who gave us unconditional release through the DPP, we would still be in prison for an offence we knew nothing about. They almost manipulated DPP into believing we were armed robbers, all in a bid to take over the affairs of the market.

Appeal for Police, government intervention

Continuing, Chukwuma said : “As I speak, we don’t have security in the market.  Last week this place was surrounded by hoodlums. Their sponsor paid them to come and sack the incumbent chairman.  We want government to intervene because the intimidation is much . Nobody is safe any more. We generate revenue for the state government. Billions of naira is paid into government coffers from here. Therefore, we deserve government’s protection when the need arises. As an international market , we deserve the best security to checkmate excesses of these paid hoodlums and cultists”.

On his part, Sir Cosmus Obi, who claimed to be one of the founders of Alaba International market

also called on the Police to rise up to the present security challenge in the market before it gets out of hand.

One of the former chairmen of the association,  Chief Ausgustine Okafor, who frowned at the present situation in the market, stated that if drastic measures were not taken by security agencies to address the present situation, it could lead to a state of anarchy.

He recalled that “When I was chairman, it was peaceful. Everyone desired to have an office in Fancy and Furniture but at a point things changed, as touts and hoodlums filled everywhere in the market .

Today, I am appealing for the intervention of security agencies to come to our rescue by assisting us to send these hoodlums who have their abode inside this market packing. They are terrorising my people and nobody is happy any more. Sometimes, they terrorise people with guns, machetes and all sorts of weapons. If the Lagos state government can’t address it, then the federal government should rise up to the occasion , after all the duty of government is to defend its people”.

Reaction

Investigation by Saturday Vanguard revealed that the alleged sponsor of the thugs, left the market last year, when the accusation became over bearing. Since then, he has reportedly not been seen around Alaba.

In a swift reaction, the man at the centre of controversy, Ekwerekwu described the claim by the traders as false.

He explained rather that “there was no election that brought in the man who claims to be the incumbent chairman. The former chairman was accused of misappropriation of funds and the stakeholders led by me, appointed the present man.

He further explained that in less than one month in office, some startling discoveries were made on Mazoba which prompted him (Ekwerekwu) to advice his anointed candidate to step down.

Continuing , he said “Eight members of his executives who challenged him on the matter were chased out and he appointed other people to take their positions. The issue is that he feels threatened that we will move him out . I am the biggest stakeholder in that market and I own most of the shops there. Tell me, how do I throw stones where I have property? Besides, I am no longer there with them, I have moved to the Island. The police are there to investigate, let him go to them. If I am invited, I will make myself available”, he said.