The Association of Radio and Television Technicians in Anambra State’s Iweka Street Electronics Market, Onitsha, is urging Governor Chukwuma Soludo to stop the alleged harassment and unlawful detention of their members by state officials.
Association Chairman, Chief Sabastine Ebilite, addressed the media, accusing the Special Adviser on Markets, Chief Evaristus Uba, and other government officials of violating court orders that protect the traders from relocation to a private market in the Harbour Industrial Layout, Atani.
Ebilite alleged that despite a court injunction allowing traders to remain on Iweka Road until their case is resolved, state operatives, including Ocha Brigade and the police, have repeatedly arrested traders and sealed shops.
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He noted that, on August 24, a contingent of armed security forces invaded their business premises, arresting 15 people, including a woman, and transferring them to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad in Awkuzu.
Ebilite also highlighted the recent arrest of the association’s Vice-Chairman, Israel Chukwudi, under what he claims are false allegations. In response, the Special Adviser on Trade and Market, Chief Uba, defended the government’s actions, stating that the state aims to eliminate street trading and that traders must relocate to designated markets to avoid obstructing public roads.
