Onitsha Bridgehead police shooting: Aggrieved traders renew calls for removal of Onitsha Ogbogwu market caretaker committee, conduct election of market exco
By Chukwudi Ebele
Some aggrieved traders in the famous Onitsha drug market under the auspices of Virtues for Ogbogwu Market Traders Association has reiteretad their call for the immediate removal of the present caretaker committee leaders in their market accusing the Chairman, Mr Ndubuisi Chukwuleta of not being capable of defending the interest and welfare of Ogbogwu trades mm
The call came as a reaction to last Wednesday's shooting and wounding of some traders by trigger-happy policemen at Onitsha Bridge head close to the popular Ogbogwu (drug) market which affected some traders in the market.
Recall that some armed policemen on mufti had allegedly fired gun shots at some traders who they suspected were carrying a bag containing unregistered drugs they bought from the drug market, a situation which sparked off controversy and nearly degenerated into a full blown protest and possible breakdown of law and order, safe for the timely intervention of Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Nnanna Oji Ama who rushed to the scene and calmed the frayed nerves.
Addressing newsmen at White Chapel hospital, Onitsha the leader of Virtues for Ogbogwu Market Traders Association, Chibueze Ifejiofor who arrived the hospital with other members of the association to pay a visit to Prince Osisi, their injured PRO who was also a victim of the police attack fracas declared: "Governor Soludo and the Commissioner for Trade and Commerce, Nonso Ebonwu should remove Chukwuleta from office with immediate effect and conduct an election".
Ifejiofor who also goes by the name 'Chibueze Adamu', further declared: "We traders at Ogbogwu market have suffered a lot of problems with Chukwuleta. Last year, it was NAFDAC that came and closed the market for almost two months and looted many shops claiming that they found unregistered drugs," Ifejiofor alleged.
"We are therefore begging for his instant removal.Let there be election in the market. We don't have quality leadership at Ogbogwu market to protect us and yet we do not deal on fake, substandard, counterfeit, expired and unwholesome drugs in the market".
According to him, "we the traders at Ogbogwu market have since last year, resolved to conduct an election that will usher in a democratically elected executive in the market but government asked us to exercise patience till after the November 2025 governorship election in the state.
Now, the guber-election has since come and gone successfully and we thought that the market election would have been held by January or latest February this year but unfortunately we are now heading to the last quarter of this year. So, we want government to conduct it as soon as possible. Preferably by September or October this year"he pleaded.
At White Chapel Hospital, Fegge, Onitsha where two of the injured victims were hospitalized, Obiora Nweke, the first victim of the police gunshot whose right leg was shattered by the bullet, told newsmen that he wasn't even the one carrying the bag of drugs in contention which the policemen wanted to search or seize.
Nweke, who identified himself as a native of Anaku in Ayamelum Local Government Area of Anambra State, further told newsmen that he is just a loader within and around the Ogbogwu market, adding that as he was loading a vehicle, he heard an unusual noise in front of Ogbogwu along the Bridgehead end of Enugu/Onitsha Expressway and left his loading business, rushed to inquire what was the noise all about.
He said on getting to the scene, he saw someone beside the drainage with a bag arguing with someone and when he asked what the problem was all about, unknown to him that those arguing with the young man were policemen on mufti, one of the policemen suddenly pulled out his gun and fired at his leg.
He recalled that at the initial stage of the gunshot, he thought the sound of the gunshot he heard was fired on the floor but few seconds after, the pain overwhelmed him and he fell down and passed out.
He said he later found himself in the hospital when he eventually regained consciousness, adding that it was then that he saw CP Ama standing before his sick bed with sympathy.
He said he heard the CP granting permission to the hospital management to commence medical treatment on him because according to him, although the management had already given him a first aid treatment and was still demanding for a police permit before they could go ahead with full medical treatment based on gunshot injury which requires that a hospital or hospitals must obtain police permit before treating a gunshot victim.
He admitted that his relations having deposited some amount of money to obtain the hospital card and the first aid treatment, CP Ama doled out some money and handed over to the hospital management to continue with the treatment.
Prince Friday Osisi who sustained injury on his forehead and was operated upon, told newsmen that his own case was that one of the pebbles being hauled at the policemen by some angry traders, shortly after the gunshots, shattered his forehead which he said was immediately operated upon by the medical experts in the hospital.
Osisi who identified himself as a trader at Ogbogwu market and the Public Relations Officer, PRO of a body known as Virtues for Ogbogwu Market Traders Association, recalled that although he was the one who quickly called the state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, SP Tochukwu Ikenga on phone and informed him of the incident, by the time CP Ama, Ikenga and Onitsha Area Commander with other senior police officers arrived the hospital, he was already in the theatre room undergoing the surgery on his forehead.
He said the Virtues for Ogbogwu Market Traders Association had complained severally to the Caretaker Committee Chairman of Ogbogwu market, Ndubuisi Chukwuleta to protect the interest of the traders but he failed woefully to do that.
Osisi alleged that rather than protect their interest, Chukwuleta always prefer to allow various security agencies like NAFDAC, Police, NDLEA to antagonize the traders at their will.
"Chukwuleta does not protect the interest of Ogbogwu market traders. He even disappeared from the scene on that fateful day telling someone to drive out his car and meet him somewhere.Simply because he is from the same Isuofia town with Governor Chukwuma Soludo who appointed him as caretaker chairman of the market for more than four years now does not mean he should continue," alleged Osisi
According to Osisi, "from my own last count, no fewer than seven persons were shot by those policemen on mufti and the victims are currently lying in various hospitals as two of us are lying here at White Chapel Hospital and our so-called Ogbogwu market caretaker committee chairman, Chukwuleta who incidentally has spend over four years in office is not protecting the interest of the traders but working against them".
"I am therefore calling on the state government to remove Chukwuleta from office, dissolve the caretaker system in Ogbogwu market and conduct an election that will usher in an elected leadership. Without this, Ogbogwu will continue to lose its integrity because Chukwuleta's negligence of duty is the major cause of problems we are having at Ogbogwu. If Chukwuleta has summoned a high ranking meeting to address such matters, the incessant attacks would have stopped before now.
Meanwhile, During the CP's visit for an on-the-spot assessment of the incident at both the scene and the hospital where some of the victims of the gunshots were admitted, CP Ama who promised to pick up the hospital bills of the patients, also ordered for a comprehensive and impartial investigations into the circumstances surrounding the incident, with a view to ameliorating the situation and at the same time forestal future occurrence.
The CP also expressed disappointment with some of the Police Area Commanders and Divisional Police Officers, DPOs in the state for their inability to have full control over their subordinates in terms of the police rule of engagement.
One of the medical experts at the hospital who identified himself as Dr. Celestine Orji, told newsmen that conditions of the two patients in the hospital have stabilized and that there was no fracture of the bone or extraction of pellets from Nweke's leg.
Administrative officer of the hospital, who simply identified herself as Mrs. Ezechukwu, told newsmen that they have prepared the medical bills of the two patients and issued to them, adding that it is now left for them to forward same to CP Ama to assist them as he promised.
When contacted, Chukwuleta who declined comment, said the incident had nothing to do with Ogbogwu market or it's bonafide members since it occurred outside the market.
