Traders lament low patronage, security situation in Imo

Since the creation of Imo State, economic and social life has never been as unpleasant as it is currently.

The state has been witnessing a series of attacks, especially on police formations, a situation that has injected fear into residents, including businessmen and women.

Daily Trust reports that as a result of the current situation, the economic status of the state is witnessing troubled times.

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Since April 5 when some gunmen overran the custodial centre of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS) and the headquarters of the Imo State Police Command, the once peaceful state has not been the same.

As a result of the attacks, businesses and social life have been severely affected in a state that prides itself as the home of hospitality, with the highest number of hotels in the country. Fear and uncertainty pervade the land and the people are now afraid to move out of their houses.

For Mr Kenneth Nwadike, who lives at the Akwakuma area of Owerri north, every stranger is now a suspect.

“You no longer trust anybody or ask simple questions from somebody you don’t know as he may be an unknown gunman, a hoodlum or security agent in disguise. Many strange killings are happening in Imo. We seem not to know where we are heading to,” he said.

Citizens are also afraid to move about because of indiscriminate arrests. About 10am on Tuesday, a group of armed men believed to be members of the Joint Security Task Force on operation at the Banana junction in Orlu raided a newspaper stand and arrested scores of people, including vendors and those going through papers. One of those arrested was Mr Chuks Ugwuibe, a sales representative of the Nigerian Telegraph Newspapers, who was on official assignment in Orlu. Up to the time of filing this report, his whereabouts was still unknown.

Steve Uzoechi, the Imo State correspondent of the New Telegraph, told our correspondent that all efforts to locate him since that day had proved abortive.

He said, “I have gone to the police in Owerri and they told me that nobody was arrested in Orlu by their men. I have gone to other places to no avail. Even soldiers are claiming ignorant of his whereabouts.”

Ugwuibe’s family is very distraught and his pregnant wife is said to have developed high blood pressure. However, unconfirmed report has it that he was sighted as security agents led him to search his office, 10 days after he was arrested.

Also, on Thursday, a truckload of newsprints belonging to The Sun Newspapers was seized at Naze, along the Aba-Owerri road. As at the time of filing this report, George Onyejiuwa, the correspondent of the newspaper was still making frantic calls to ensure that the lorry is released.

Again, a detachment of security operatives raided Number 5, Rotobi Street, the hub of newspaper distribution in the state. The four-storey building also houses the offices of most media houses in the state. At the end of the raid, five other vendors and sales representatives were arrested.

Some of the vendors said they were told that those arrested were selling news materials from the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and other items considered to be against the government. As a result of fear, therefore, by Tuesday morning, no newspaper stand was operational. They had all decided to go underground.

The prevailing scenario has sent shivers down the spine of businessmen and women in major cities in the state.

At most of the major markets in Owerri – Eke Onunwa, Relief and Cluster, traders complain of low patronage. They added that the situation was compounded by the skyrocketing prices of goods.

Mama Chiamaka, who sells provisions at the popular Eke Onunwa market, said she had been having low patronage since the problem started.

At building materials market, traders said they managed to carry out skeletal sales but always vigilant not to be caught in any happenstance.

Madam Constance Egburuonu said it had been very difficult to restock her shop since the security situation in the state took a turn for the worse.

“Cement is the basic ingredient in the building industry, but since this problem started, we have been running short of supplies. Sometimes trucks carrying cement are delayed at various checkpoints for days, making it impossible to reach their destinations on time. Some truck drivers are actually in dilemma,’’ she said.

In Orlu, our correspondent gathered that the main market, reputed to be one of the biggest in the South-East, is now a shadow of its former self.

A trader, Mr Ugwoegbulem, told our correspondent that since the clash between military men and suspected members of the ESN, Orlu has been turned into a war zone. He said traders now opened one part of the gates of their shops to enable them close quickly in case of any problem.

He said, “The economy of our people has been destroyed since the problem between security men and the ESN. We no longer open our shops fully. We no longer display our goods. In fact, there is a total state of uncertainty here. Buying and selling is now hazardous and feeding our family has become difficult.’’

Thursday’s gun duel in Orlu has further created panic in an already tense situation. By Friday morning, the entire streets of the town were deserted and shops remained closed as owners remained at home.

A resident of the area who spoke to our correspondent on phone said they could not sleep comfortably. He said, “How do you expect us to open our shops when we did not sleep last night. The whole area is in confusion and military men are raiding the area in search of the remaining gunmen that attacked the police station.”

Most hit by the state of insecurity in Imo is the hospitality industry as customers only come in little numbers.

Cab operators are not left out of the trouble as they are also counting their losses.

The situation in Imo is worsened by the imposition of curfew in Rivers State as this has hampered businesses between the two states.

A front desk staff in one of the popular hotels in Owerri told our correspondent that it was no longer business as usual. According to her, they now record few customers, even when they reviewed their rates to accommodate the new reality on ground.

A cab operator in the same hotel said that since the problem started, business had not been the same. He said that although the situation may not be as bad as people are painting it, the stories were enough to scare anybody wishing to visit Owerri.

He said, “These internet people have killed us. People post pictures of what’s happening elsewhere as if it happened in Imo. We agree that things are bad, but it is not as bad as they paint it. People still come to Owerri because this is one of the places they can find comfort.’’