Merchants displaced as Anambra demolishes over 2,000 retailers

Following the building collapse that occurred on Saturday, the Anambra State Government on Monday demolished no fewer than 2,000 shops in Onitsha.

The building collapse occurred on Basden Street, Fegge, in Onitsha, but on Monday, the state government demolished shops located on Niger Street in Fegge, Onitsha South Local Government Area, Anambra State.

The shops located by the bank of the River Niger were mostly owned by members of the Sand Miners Association of Anambra State, who use them as equipment and operational offices, while some are occupied by petty traders who serviced them.

The illegal structures were said to have been built by traders who allegedly got the approval of the National Inland Water Ways, but the state governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, stated during a visit to the area last week that NIWA does not have the right to build or allocate spaces to traders on Anambra land.

Soludo, during the inspection of roads constructed by his administration, ordered the Onitsha South Local Government Chairman, Chief Emeka Orji, to demolish all the illegal structures, noting that the land belongs to Anambra State and not NIWA.

“The code or bye-laws establishing NIWA gave the organisation 100 metres from the banks of the River Niger as right of easement but what we are seeing here are illegal structures and should be demolished,” the governor said.

This development is coming as the state government has declared war on illegal structures following the collapse of a five-storey building at Fegge in the same community.

Our correspondent, who was at the scene of the demolition, observed that the exercise displaced over 4,000 people, and multimillion naira worth of goods were damaged in the exercise.

The Chairman of Onitsha South Local Government Area, Emeka Orji, who supervised the demolition, told journalists and the displaced victims that he was acting on the orders of the state governor following the incessant building collapse in the area.

Orji said, “A notice was issued as regards the demolition and it was followed by series of follow up notices but they disobeyed.

“Then last week, Mr Governor came here and told them that this place is not for shops or markets and ordered me to demolish the area but I gave them another one week notice which ended today.”

The area according to Orji, would be barricaded and cleared for the establishment of a Sea Side Resort which would have green park areas with umbrella trees for relaxation and amusement.

He said, “Most buildings currently under construction would be subjected to integrity test which includes material test, qualify test.

“Everywhere cannot be market in Onitsha and we have declared war on illegal structures and we shall ensure that the right thing is done about building collapse in Onitsha South local government area.”

While the demolition was going on, the affected victims were seen trying to salvage some of their equipment and goods, according to them, there was no prior information about the demolition.

One of the victims, Mrs Ekeoma Okafor, said, “We were not given any notice as regards the demolition. It is a vindictive one targeted at us because we refused to settle some government officials. We pay appropriate taxes and levies to the state government, and we don’t cut corners or pay to illegal revenue collectors or government agents who shortchange the state.”

Other displaced victims who spoke to journalists, described the exercise as “wicked,”  wondering why a state government would embark on such an exercise during this period of economic uncertainty, without allowing people to remove their machines and goods.

The Manager of Lake Petroleum Limited, one of the owners of sand beaches and shops, Chief Okechukwu Okoye, said that they lost over 130 shops and equipment worth millions of naira, saying that there was no prior information over the demolition.

Okoye said, “We are law-abiding in everything we are doing here, we are properly licensed and registered with the Federal Ministry of Environment and National Inland Waterways Authority. We pay all the necessary taxes and levies to NIWA and Anambra State government; we have even paid the necessary 2025 levies and taxes to Anambra State government, and we don’t have any problems with NIWA, so we don’t know the reason for the demolition of our offices.

“We did not erect any illegal structures here; all the structures were legally registered and approved by the relevant government agencies and the appropriate payment made. It is therefore a surprise to us when they stormed the place and started demolishing without any prior notice.”

When contacted, the NIWA Area Manager, Suleiman Nicholas, said the state government cannot take action on the NIWA Right of Way without informing the agency.

Nicholas said, “If there is any illegal structure on NIWA Right of Way, the state government should write us and we will take action against any of our customers involved. But we did not receive any complaint from the state government about such obstruction and therefore, there is no reason for such demolition to take place.”