The Abia State Government has condemned Thursday’s attack on its agents by illegal street traders and miscreants in Aba. It regretted in a Special Government Announcement that “agents of the Aba Urban Renewal Office and Abia State Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA) who were on a legitimate mission to Clifford Road by Ube Street in the Aba metropolis, were attacked and terrorised with their vehicles burnt by miscreants and illegal street traders.” A statement siged by Godwin Adindu, Chief Press Secretary to the State Governor, descried the incident as “a brazen display of lawlessness and the height of affront against constituted authority.”

Adindu said: “The Abia State Government condemns this incident in all its entirety and also condemns the tendency of people taking laws into their hands and attacking government agents who are on legitimate duty to restore sanity to the city.

“This is clearly a conspiracy by disgruntled elements to undermine government efforts by mobilising hoodlums and miscreants to resist and attack government agents who are carrying out their legitimate assignments. Government wants to warn these elements that a repeat performance of this dastardly act will be disastrous for the perpetrators and the brains behind them.

“As a result, government directs that within seven days of this announcement, all illegal street trading on this road must stop so as to ease traffic on that road. The Aba South Local Council has completed the construction of shops at Goodmorning Market behind East Street by Ngwa Road and these illegal street traders ought to have relocated to the new sites over a month ago. As a way of cushioning the effect of the relocation, the Aba South Local Council has since stopped collecting tolls from the traders.

“Government is therefore using this medium to reassure all law abiding citizens of Aba of government determination to protect them from any group of misguided elements who are trying to constitute themselves into a nuisance. All law abiding citizens should go about their lawful businesses without fear of any molestation.

“Government is adequately prepared to protect the lives and property of all citizens and will therefore not tolerate any such display of brazen violence and confrontation to constituted authority. This is totally unacceptable to the government of Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu.”

•Photo shows Governor Ikpeazu fielding questions from newsmen.

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