Tunji Adedeji
Hon Ezeaochie Emmanuel Acting Chairman ISAMATA may be in trouble if Trumpeta finding is anything to go by.
The market leader who may be standing trial today Tuesday, before the Federal High Court in Owerri has been in the news in recent days for wrong reasons.
Trumpeta gathered that the market boss may be arraigned following a matter with suit no: FHC/OW/6 c 2020 bothering on alleged intent to defraud Valentine Ugbala the sum of four million ,five hundred thousand naira (#4.5m). In 2018,
Ezeaochie was charged for falsely pretending that he was capable of procuring a Certificate of Occupancy in respect of Okporo Market,Orlu for Valentine Ugbala.
Consequently, the force has filed a two-count charge of fraud against the government appointee, who was appointed few months ago.
Recall that the matter that was first called up on 21st of January, 2020 in the Federal High Court Owerri was delayed by Covid-19 pandemic.
In a related development, traders at the international market, Orlu recently trooped out in their numbers to protest and register their displeasure over what they described as serial extortion by Ezeanochie Emmanuel who they said assumed office as chairman of Orlu Market Traders Association OMATA, barely three months ago.
The protesters who marched round the market, blocking vehicular movement carried placards with inscriptions like, “enough of the extortion, we want to meet with the commissioner, our leaders are heartless” etc.
Speaking on behalf of the traders ,Mr Chidi Okafor said in the past three months Ezeanochie who was Vice Chairman in the market’s past administration assumed office as chairman of OMATA, that he had unilaterally and without notice increased all the fees that the traders pay. .
He said “For instance, the N3000 we used to pay for stallage has been increased to N6000 in addition to the fifty naira and hundred naira daily and monthly tolls respectively. Please investigate his activities before he destroys the image of the state government and erode the goodwill of the traders towards the shared prosperity administration.”
The traders who appealed to Gov Uzodinma called Ezeaochie to order, accusing him of constantly using the governor’s name to back up his actions.
The aggrieved traders said “Whatever he does, he claims to be in line with the governor’s directive. He also claims to remit most of the money he collects to Chief of Staff. This, we know is not true because the Governor Uzodimma that we know will not tolerate or be party to this kind of serial extortion. That was why we mobilized the traders to stop further payment of any fee, pending our meeting with officials of the state government”
