Traders Recount Losses As Abakaliki Building Materials Market Is Demolished

Following the ultimatum given by the Ebonyi State government to traders of Building Materials Market, Abakaliki, and the subsequent demolition of the market on Monday, traders have bemoaned the hardship inflicted on them.

Our correspondent gathered that the state government issued about five eviction notices to the traders to vacate the market since 2018, all to no avail.

The demolition caused heavy gridlocks as motorists spent hours trying to navigate the jam. The area that was mostly affected was the Afikpo road.

THE WHISTLER gathered that over 1000 traders earn their living in the market.

Narrating their part of the stories, some of the traders claimed they were not in the know of the notices and the consequent demolition. One of them, Uche Kalu, said, “I became afraid yesterday when I got to the market and saw armed soldiers, police and Department of State Services (DSS) personnel everywhere. Bulldozers were also mobilized. I lost many things to the exercise. I don’t have money to look for another shop. My rent has not expired.”

Chief Ikenna Ugwu told newsmen that their reluctance to vacate the market was because the new site had not been completed, adding that the facilities which the state government promised to fix there had not been put in place.

He described the exercise as a show of insensitivity on the part of the state authorities considering the hardship in the land.

In his words, “Most of us are in trouble. Nothing has been built in the new site. The aftermath of Covid-19 is still negatively affecting us. Now this one has been added to our burden. We were also extorted by task force sent by the government before we were allowed to leave the market premises.”

However, the secretary to the state government (SSG), Dr Kenneth Ugbala, told newsmen that the plan was to relocate the Building Materials Market to the defunct Abakpa market, but decided to allow them to construct a new Building Materials Market by the side of Timber Shade at Abakaliki-Afikpo highway.

According to him, the government had to carry out the exercise following the traders’ failure to comply with eviction directives since 2018.

He said the state government promised to assist the traders to provide basic amenities to enable their businesses to thrive, adding that leaders of the market also said they were set to vacate the market, hence the demolition.