Micheal Chukwuebuka, Reporting
TRADERS at the Onitsha drug market, Ogbogwu, Anambra State, barricaded the ever-busy Onitsha/Asaba Expressway on Wednesday in protest against the alleged killing of one of their fellow traders by police officers.
No fewer than five traders were also alleged to have sustained various degrees of injuries in the market as a result of running away from tear gas canisters fired by police.
Trouble was said to have started when the deceased, who was carrying a nylon bag, was asked by a policeman to surrender the bag for searching and he refused.
It was gathered that as both men struggled for the bag, a stray bullet hit the trader and he died on the spot.
In a spontaneous reaction, onlookers mobilised themselves against the policeman and his colleagues to retaliate the untimely death but met strict resistance from naval personnel stationed at Ogbaru/Asaba junction Onitsha, adjacent to the scene.
The situation degenerated into a severe attack against police and military personnel as traders from Ogbogwu market rushed to the scene to seek revenge but were prevented by security operatives who had been reinforced.
Tear gas canisters were used to disperse the aggrieved, rampaging traders, some of whom condemned police harassment of traders at the market on a daily basis.
Rights Group Condemns Police Harassment
In his reaction, the chairman of a human rights organisation, Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety), Comrade Emeka Umeagbalasi, condemned what he described as “police raid of Ogbogwu market on daily basis in the evening.”
“These police personnel come from different police stations and beats to extort traders especially when they see someone carrying a bag. Unfortunately they have their informants who are also fellow traders.
“The informants have no shops but they make their living through this means. That has been the problem of the market. So something should be done now to stop this harassment by the police,” he stated.
Police Deny Fatality, Launch Investigation
In a swift reaction when contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, denied that anyone had died, adding that the trader who was dragging the bag with a policeman was hit by a stray bullet in the process and did not die, and has been rushed to a nearby hospital.
The Commissioner of Police, who rushed to the scene, stated that the immediate priority of the command was to ensure that the victims recovered fully. He subsequently visited the victims at the hospitals where he assured them of the command’s support and pledged to personally ensure that their medical expenses were covered.
He further ordered a thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident, particularly the events leading to the discharge of the firearm.
The protest caused significant disruption to traffic along the busy Onitsha/Asaba Expressway, a major commercial artery connecting the South-East and South-South regions of Nigeria.
Commercial activities at the market were also paralysed for several hours as traders joined the protest.
The incident has raised fresh concerns about police conduct in markets across the country, with traders calling for greater accountability and an end to alleged harassment and extortion by security personnel.
As of the time of filing this report, the market remained tense, with traders vowing to continue their protest if the police failed to address their grievances.
The state police command has appealed for calm while assuring the public that the investigation would be thorough and transparent.
