Over N5m And 100 Goats Missing After Rivers Market Demolition
The Evulu International Market is popularly known as the Goat Market, in Elele Alimini, located in Ahoada East Local Government Area of Rivers State and the traders were asked to evacuate the market location. In this regards the traders raised the alarm of injustice by the local government authorities.
The traders alleged that more than 100 goats were discovered missing alongside over N5 million after the demolition of the market by the LGA, regretting that the market was demolished against the order of the governor who says (the market) should be shut down.
While speaking the coordinator of the market, Mr. Patric Aliezi, said the demolition of the market was an injustice to the traders and investors in the market, claiming that approvals were sought and granted before the market commenced operation.
Aliezi also said that: “The governor did not direct that the market be destroyed. The governor said the market should be shut down. They came here and destroyed the market. How can you destroy people’s wealth and sweat?
“When that place was opened we meet the Special Assistant to the Governor of Road Decongestion and Street Trading, Chief Bright Amaewhule, he gave us the go-ahead order before we started opening that place to decongest that road.
“When Hausa people had a problem in the market they were operating we allowed them to use the space we had already opened. Before we started the market I had personally called the Chairman of Ahoada East Local Government and told him of it, he only questioned what my interest is in his LGA.
“He demolished the market against the order of the state governor and relocated it to another place in his local government. All we were doing in that area was to improve the Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, of the state and the Local Governments.”
Aliezi, however, called on Governor Wike to investigate the matter, adding that the essence of the demolition was an act of injustice to the traders.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of Ahoada East LGA, Hon. Ben Eke, denied the allegations, noting that nobody wrote the council for the market to operate.
The chairman said the land where the market was sited belonged to Ahoada East LGA, adding that for there to be a market the legislature must make the law to that effect and there ought to be a budget for the building.
He said: “We thank the governor for acting timely and we have to heed to his words. The community did not come to us for a permit to operate that market.
“It is wrong for them to open the market. If the state government had not done it, we would have done the same. We did them notice to quit the place and remove all the structures.
“The Taskforce was given instructions and before they got there they traders there had packed out, so nobody was beaten. We did not see anything goods or persons when we got there.”
Ayooluwa Joshua