Anambra market leaders, trader clash over collapsing security tower

The leadership of the Ugwuagba Obosi Electrical Market in Anambra State’s Idemili North Local Government Area has found itself at odds with one of its traders, Chekwube Nwankwo, over the fate of a collapsing three-story security tower in the market.

The issue came to a head when Nwankwo, whose shop is located near the tower, petitioned the Anambra State Urban Development Board about the dangers posed by the structure. In response, the market chairman, John Onunkwo, issued a two-week ultimatum for the tower’s demolition.

Onunkwo acknowledged the tower’s deteriorating condition, stating, “We are aware that the security tower is collapsing. Nwankwo had told us about the need to demolish it, but the market has no money, and we asked him to do it by himself as it poses a danger to lives and property.”

“It is not that we cannot use force to even seal his shop, but because we want due process as leaders. We pleaded that he removed the tower but he refused. It is unfortunate that he is the one causing us this problem. We are still pleading with him to relocate his wares to enable us demolish the tower.

“Even the chairman of Idemili North Local Government Area has given him two weeks from now to remove his wares for the demolition after he refused the ASUDEB order to him earlier to remove his wares.”

However, Nwankwo speaking to our correspondent claims he had been “crying out over the years” about the need to demolish the tower, but the market leadership had repeatedly pleaded with him to handle the demolition himself.

“What they want is for the security tower to collapse and kill me, that is when they will now come for a condolence visit to my family with N5,000 and that will be the end, because that is what the leadership does,” Nwankwo said.

The conflict has escalated, with Nwankwo alleging that the market chairman has threatened to revoke his shop allocation and sell the space he occupies.

Nwankwo said, “The leadership now sees my inviting ASUDEB as a slap on their faces and they started to threaten me that they will revoke my shop allocation paper while the chairman threatened that he would sell my shop.”

Nwankwo claims his shop space was officially procured from a former market chairman, and he has been a vocal critic of the current leadership’s alleged misdeeds.

He said, “The nature of my business doesn’t warrant shops, my wares are displayed in the open and that is why they are in the open space and I have my space allocation documents to back up my claims that I procured the space when the former market Chairman, Chief Benjamin Orji, was the chairman.

“I have been the coordinator of the prayer group for nine consecutive years now and I have been condemning the sale of market properties by the leadership of the market, this is why they see me as a threat but I will not be deterred by their antics.”

Meanwhile, a former chairman of the market’s Peace and Reconciliation Committee, Oguka Kamsochukwu, corroborated Nwankwo’s allegations, stating that the issue has shifted from the security tower to the threat of revoking Nwankwo’s shop space.

“The issue now is not the security tower, but how to revoke Nwankwo’s shop space he officially procured from a former chairman of the market. What happens in the market is that when you challenge the leadership, they attack you,” Kamsochukwu said.