Old Zinc Dealers and Furniture Makers Association, Bridgehead, Onitsha protest plot to set the market on fire

www.odogwublog.com reports that traders of Old Zinc Dealers and Furniture Makers Association, Bridgehead, Onitsha yesterday took to the streets to protest alleged plot to set the market ablaze and to cause hardship to the traders at the market.

The protesters who barricaded the roads marched from Bridgehead to Fegge police station to register their grievances from where they proceeded to Police Area Command Onitsha causing gridlock on the road, calling on security agents to arrest and prosecute the suspect whom they said fled when the traders suspected  his plot but succeeded in arresting one of the boys and handed him to the police.

The traders numbering over 500 were chanting songs and bore placards with the inscription such as "Mgbarigba live us alone, Government should help us to secure our market form being burnt by enemy of progress, Mgbarigba should be arrested and prosecuted, Mgbarigba wants to burn our market, Mgbarigba enough is enough" among others.

The leader of the traders and Vice Chairman of the market Mr. Uchenna Onyeabo alleged that one Wilfred Ikechukwu Ezike alias Mgbarigba came to the market with some boys with fuel and matches light to burn the market at about 5.45pm on Monday when some traders saw and raised the alarm, saying that the traders pursued them and he escaped while one of his boys was arrested and handed over to the police where he confessed that Mgbarigba brought them into the market to set it ablaze.

He said that Mgbaarigba has been a torn on the flesh of the traders even when he doesn't have a shop in the market after the father left the market but had been causing crisis in the market, dragging the leaders of the market to court for just no cause and appealed to security agents to arrest and prosecute him for trying to commit arson.

According to Onyeabo: "this is not the first time he has been bringing thugs into the market to harass traders and leadership of the market. He is not a member of the market, he doesn't have shop at the market. We want government to intervene and the security agents to arrest him and charge him to court. We have evidence because he drove into the market with his car with the boys and when we noticed their plot to burn the market we pursued them but he escaped and we arrested one of his boys with fuel which they intended to use to set the market ablaze".

Also speaking, the Provost of the market, Mr. Christian Ezema said that the said Mgbarigba has been disturbing the leadership of the since after the election of the executive members, saying that they reported his activities in the market to the police sometime but after the case he continued causing crisis in the market. 

"We don't want to take law into our hands and that is why we are doing the peaceful protest to cry out the government and security agents to help us solve the problem before it gets out of hand ".

But,  Ezike (Mgbarigba) in a swift reaction denied the allegations, accusing the market leadership of framing him up after they attacked him and his boy is his shop and destroyed his goods worth millions of Naira.

He wondered why they accused him of arson in the same market and at day time when the traders were still in the market, saying that the leadership of the market was fighting him because of court judgment against them that  declared me as the Chairman of Board of Trustee of the market of the authentic market Union.

"They attacked me and  my boy in my shop and destroyed goods worth N40 million and now they are accusing me of arson at day time. The case of the authentic leader of the market Union has been lingering and police has investigated the matter and court has also recognize me as BOT chairman but the former leadership of the market refused to accept that and remain peaceful as ordered by court".

Ezike further said that when they attacked him in his shop, he ran to Fegge Police station where he was directed to go to Area Command and where the case was pending, and the culprits were arraigned in court yesterday.