By CHARLES ONYEKWERE

Traders and shop owners in their numbers at Ebonyi state international market on Wednesday, lamented the alleged illegal demolition of their shops by agents of government.

The traders who are majorly yam sellers located at lot two (2) of the market, decried incessant regular extortion at the market.

One of the traders who spoke to News Express on condition of anonymity, said the illegal demolition of their shops was done after the payment of over fifty thousand (50,000) demanded from them by governor's special assistant on market development, Mrs. Ngozi Obichukwu.

Another trader, a widow also accused the governor's special assistant of masterminding the demolition, stressing that the it will increase their pains, hardship and sufferings.

The widow said that over two thousand traders paid fifty thousand (50,000) each for the allocation of the shops, which is currently been demolished on the alleged instructions of the governor's aide.

The window who narrated her ordeals in tears, appealed to governor David Umahi for immediate intervention, stressing that majority of their members collected huge amount of loans from banks and other financial institutions to build the shops that is being demolished by government agents.

It was gathered that the two thousand (2,000) traders are forced by the governor's aide to be paying fifty naria (50) everyday, as tolls even after the initial payment of fifty thousand naira.

The chairperson of yarn dealers association, Margaret Umahi international market, Mrs. Chinwe Umeh who spoke with News Express in Abakaliki, narrated that some of the traders collected huge loans from banks to erect the shops and many of them are yet to repay the loans to banks.

She stated that the money they paid for the allocation of the shops will expire by October, and that the governor's aide, Ngozi Obichukwu didn't give them prior information before the demolition of the shops.

Mera Umeh added that the demolition, had made many of their members to suddenly develop high Blood pressure (BP) and sickness, and called for immediate intervention by the state governor, and prominent leaders of the state.

She also, applauded the governor for the numerous infrastructural facilities witnessed in the international market, especially for bringing them out from their former shops, where yams worth millions of naria were destroyed by heat.

Umah said: "We thanked the governor for bringing us out from our former shops where our yams worth millions of naria were destroyed by heat. We were happy for the allocation of this new shops. Our yams are no longer destroyed and we are comfortable here. But unfortunately, we saw some men who came and said that they were directed to demolish the shop, because, the shops defaced the international market standard. We need the intervention of the governor," she stressed.

In a swift reaction, the special assistant to the governor on market development, Dr. Ngozi Obichukwu, said the shops were demolished by the instructions of the governor, noting that they defaced the international market standard.

According to her: "whatever they are talking is their business, and I don't support evil. I pitied them because the shops are not inside. They paid money to government account and not me, the evidences are there."

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