Human, vehicular movement and trading activities were on Wednesday grounded for over two hours along Niger Street, Fegge Onitsha, following a protest by over 150 traders of City of God Plaza, Niger Street, who shut their shops to protest against breaking into one of the shops of a trader in the market at night and carted away of over N4 million from the shop.
Hundreds of stranded non Anambra State traders crossing River Niger to transact business in the Onitsha Main Market and other surrounding markets, through Niger Street, particularly those from Delta and Edo states, were prevented from entry and exit by the protesting traders.
The traders displayed various placards with inscriptions indicating their disappointment with the management of the plaza.
Spokesmen for the traders, Chukwudi Nwolisa and Elochukwu Ajima, alleged that the Tuesday night breaking into the shop and carting away the money was the third since last year without any arrest made by the security personnel employed there.
According to Nwaolisa, “we have demanded to be allowed to employ our security since we pay N1000 every month for security and yet our shops are constantly broken into and money carted away, yet they refused to allow us employ our security.
“We want the Anambra State Government, state Commissioner of Police, Well-meaning citizens to intervene and help us to ensure that justice is done and adequate protection provided for us; this type of shop breaking has been happening in this plaza without any action taken, the security has been frustrating actions by using subtle means.
“The shop broken into as you can see has three big padlocks keys, but the thieves took time to relax, cut each of the keys in two places before they open the shop and carted away the money they came for.
“We closed our shops today to show our grievance and call on Anambra State Government to assist us with security of our market Plaza that has over 150 shops paying all forms of tax to the government; otherwise we will continue to cry here.”
Owner of the bugled Shop, Mr. Ifedi Onyekachi, a mini bank operator, and agent to traders, attached to one of the old generation First bank Plc, said that “N4.2 million was carted away from the shop by the robbers.”
