Traders at the popular Wuse Market in Abuja last Friday went to their shops after a three-day closure following violence that erupted. But many of them were left wondering how to start again as a result of the destruction of their shops leading to loss of goods worth millions of naira.
Violence erupted on Tuesday, March 12, at the market, after an official of the Nigeria Correctional Service allegedly shot and killed a hawker who was said to have attempted to run away after he was sentenced by a mobile court operating in the market.
The trouble started after a hawker identified as and popularly addressed as Abba, had been allegedly shot dead by an operative of the correctional centre.
It was gathered that the deceased, Ibrahim Yahaya, was sentenced for two weeks in detention by the judge of the mobile court for hawking in the market.
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He was said to be handcuffed when he was shot and killed.
Riot broke out by his colleagues after the incident and police were called in, who used teargas to disperse the crowd.
However, in the aftermath of the crisis, at least four vehicles that included a bus owned by the correctional service, a police van, and two others owned by the market officials, were completely burnt down. Four other vehicles were also smashed by the angry mob.
The management of the market ordered its immediate closure to prevent further destruction.
Speaking to Daily Trust, one of the affected traders, Moses Nnamani who deals in curtains, bed sheets, and other textile materials items, said he had lost everything within his double shop that he spent his entire life to acquire, as a result of the fire incident.
He attributed the cause of the fire in their shop to the teargas thrown by the policemen while making efforts to control the crowd of people that included the mob.
Nnamani said his business, which he started in Enugu in 1986 has been entirely ruined, lamenting that he doesn’t know where to start from now. He said he had lost about N200 million.
Daily Trust correspondent who visited the market on Sunday reported that scavengers had besieged the market collecting burnt items for sale.
Another trader, Abdurrahman Abdullahi Tilde, who deals in gold, said he was lucky that some of the affected wares could be recycled. He added this would minimise his losses.
He said he was also lucky that the fire didn’t penetrate into the building, which was made from cast materials and had a bullet-proof door.
He also put his loss at more than N200 million.
Ismaila Muhammad, a trader at the perishable section of the market, who deals in fruits and eggs said he lost supply worth N300, 000 as a result of the violence.
He said many of his colleagues could not access their wares since the incident happened.
He added that on Wednesday when the market was briefly opened, only 29 out of an estimated 200 perishable goods traders were able to enter and salvage their goods before the market was closed again.
“The officials gave only 10 people access into the market to park out their goods at the same time, and it was only the second batch of traders that got the opportunity, before the officials ordered everyone in the market to vacate for the market to be locked again.
“By the time the market reopened on Friday afternoon, every item in our section had already gotten rotten. It’s today that I first started to receive new supplies,’’ Ismaila said.
The traders appealed for an intervention from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), as well as the Ministry of the Federal Capital Territory to enable them restart their businesses.
The FCT Police Command spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, had however faulted the traders’ claim that it was the tear gas from the police that ignited the fire.
She blamed the hoodlums, who operate around the market, for the incident, which they used to steal people’s property.
The Public Relation Officer of the Abuja Market Management Limited (AMML), Innocent Amechina, said the organisation, along with the Abuja Investment Company Limited, AICL met with the trader’s association, where issues regarding how they could be assisted were discussed.
He said the acting group managing director of the AICL had earlier promised that the traders would be given some assistance towards rebuilding of their shops.
He said the MD had also encouraged the traders to register with insurance companies, which can assist them, in the event of incidents like this.
Meanwhile, some traders have accused some officials of the mobile courts responsible in handling environmental cases relating to the business premises in the territory of conniving with government’s officials, to extort those arraigned before the courts.
Efforts to get the response of the FCT High Court, which controls the said mobile courts, was not successful.
An official who preferred to remain anonymous told our reporter that the chief registrar of the court was on vacation.
Meanwhile the stakeholders comprising Wuse Market Traders Association, Abuja Market Management Limited, as well as the FCT police command has unanimously suspended the market’s taskforce forthwith.
The taskforce was responsible for preventing the activities of hawkers and other bad elements in the market.
The Chairman, Wuse Market Traders Association, Okorie Ikechukwu Raphael, who confirmed the development in a phone interview yesterday, said a new one would be set up.
Raphael condemned the action that led to the lost of life and violence. He said it was wrong and unfortunate to shoot a person dead when he was already handcuffed. The chairman said a lot of illegality was going on in the market, hence the need for an instrument of the law to checkmate them.
“However, the taskforce should operate under provision of law,’’ he added.
He said about 11 meetings had taken place within the last three where a list of losses was submitted. He the meeting also resolved to assist the family of the deceased.
Raphael the meeting also discussed how those whose shops were burnt could be assisted to recover from their losses.
He appealed to Abuja Investment Company Limited to consider how to assist the traders, while those with insurance are expected to be fully compensated.
“Efforts are being made to see how some of these things could be achieved within one week,” said the chairman.
