Aba Boils, As Traders, Task Force Officials Clash

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News From The State Monday, November 16th, 2015

By Ignatius Okpara, Umuahia

Hell was let lose at the weekend in Aba, the commercial nerve centre of Abia state, as traders at the popular Ahia Ohuu market clashed with overzealous members of the Aba Urban Renewal (AUR) Committee task force set up by the state government to sanitize the city.

The fracas, left no fewer than 20 people seriously injured, who are now receiving medical treatment at various hospitals in parts of the State.

At least, three vehicles were also burnt during the fracas which started last Thursday, and lasted till Sunday, before a combined team of security agents comprising soldiers, Police, and the state Vigilante Services intervened.

AFRICAN EXAMINER Correspondent reported that the security operatives had a very nasty experience in dislodging crowd on both sides.

Some goods were also burnt during the incident by the government agents.

It was gathered that trouble began when members of the AUR committee arrived the Highlife area to enforce the relocation of the traders doing business along Clifford and School roads to the Good morning market, but were resisted by the traders who refused to move.

An eyewitness’s account that, when the AUR team started destroying the displayed wears, they were vehemently resisted by the traders who attacked them.

The fracas worsened Saturday, when the AUR team resumed work in the area

The traders alleged that some of them who tried to save their goods from destruction received machete cuts and were hit with stones by the government agents.

In his reaction, the State Police Public Relations Officer, (PPRO) Ezekiel Udeviotu, said the State’s Police Command have began full scale investigations into the ugly incident, with a view to bringing those that took the laws into their hands to book.