Youths of Obiangwu community in Ngor Okpala Local Government Area, have vowed to disrupt airport activities today if the traders and security men at the Ekeisu Obiangwu market, detained at Anti Kidnapping Police Command Owerri on the orders of the Interim Management Committee Chairman of Ngor Okpala Local Government Area, Chief Mayor Nweke, were not released before 3pm yesterday.
The youths who expressed displeasure over the alleged highhandedness of the Chairman disclosed that he had consistently, before now, ordered the arrest and detention of their people at the Area Police command, stressing that they could no longer tolerate his impunity and called on all well-meaning individuals and government of Imo State to compel him to do the needful by realeasing those people or be ready to contend with their wrath.
Meanwhile, traders at the market have sent a Save-our-Souls to Governor of Imo State, Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodinma over their plight in the hands of Hon. Mayor Nweke, alleging that he had continued to harass them over the months.
Narrating the ordeal of the traders, the former All Progressive Congress ward Chairman of Obiangwu, Ward 10 Hon. David Anyanwu, said that before this year, the local government was in charge of the markets and the revenue that accrues from them. However according to him, the state government early this year, signed an MOU with the local governments transferring the administration of the markets to the state, with the Imo State Amalgamated Traders Association, (ISAMATA) in charge, and directed the market chairmen to take charge of the markets and report to them.
He went on:”But Hon. Nweke claiming to be the ALGON secretary, insisted that the markets in Ngor Okpala local government area should be handed over to him against the directive of the State Government. He contracted it out but while the traders were paying all that was required of them, there was no government presence, the sanitary condition of the market depreciated, refuse was not removed, robbery became the order of the day and worse still, the revenue generated from the traders was not paid to ISAMATA.
“This made us to start collecting the revenue to enable us maintain the market and hired security men to ensure the security of lives and property in the market.
” Unfortunately, the IMC chairman who seems to be above the law and always brag that his god fathers at Government House will always protect him protect him no matter what he does, allegedly be after his own pocket. On last week Thursday EkeIsu Obiangwu market day, he invaded the community with police men from Antikidnaping Owerri at about 2am and arrested the security men namely Obioma, Chibuzo Njoku and Mr Ijea labelled against them with false heinous crimes. He also went ahead to arrest the chairman of the market, Mr Ikechukwu Nkwocha in his house. As at press time time, they are still been detained at Antikidnaping station, Owerri since Thursday for no justifiable reason. Never in the history of Ngor Okpala has such a thing happened before. The chief security Officer of the LGA who is supposed to protect lives and properties is now arresting people indiscriminately. “We are not going to take that impunity any longer and are ready to resist him at all cost” since the Government can no longer do their job by doing the needful.
