Traders flee as security men search market for illegal oil depot owners

Traders at the building materials market also known as Ogboshishi in Naze area of Owerri are on the run following the invasion of the market by security agents.

The security men were said to be on the trail of suspects linked to an illegal oil depot discovered in the market last week.

The traders lamented that the situation turned into a nightmare as the raids became constant with frequent arrests and detention of people found in the market.

One of the traders, Okechukwu Ike, told South East Trust that apart from the raids, which have prevented them from carrying out their legitimate means of livelihood, the security operatives have also turned the market into a cash cow where they frequently go to extort traders.

He said the situation has been worsened by the fact that they have not been able to apprehend the owners of the illegal oil depot.

He said, “Since this problem of attacks started, we have not opened our shops as we normally do. You open your shop and keep watch to close it at the slightest disturbance because of the unannounced and frequent raids by the police and soldiers.

“This morning, we were told that the security men who came were from the DSS. We keep seeing them from different agencies.”

Effort to get the reaction of the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Bala Elkana, was unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.