Enugu, NIGERIA – Two persons have been reportedly shot dead and several others also injured. following the indefinite closure of Ogbete Main Market in Enugu State by Governor Peter Mbah over noncompliance with his ban on sit-at-home.
In protest, traders whose business premises were sealed trooped out on Wednesday to express their displeasure over the development.
However, they were dispersed by the officers of the Enugu State Police Command who asked them to go back to businesses and leave the streets.
The State Governor Peter Mbah has sealed some commercial banks and tens of shops for allegedly observing an illegal Monday sit-at-home order enforced by a faction of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in Enugu and other four South-East states.
It was reported that Governor Mbah ordered the sealing of several shops, malls and banks on Monday, which he accused of observing “illegal sit-at-home” called for by a Nigerian separatist living in Finland, Simon Ekpa.
Justifying the sealing of private businesses, Governor Mbah in a statement issued on Tuesday, which was signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof Chidiebere Onyia said that businesses sealed on Monday would be closed for one week.
He also imposed that owners of businesses sealed must provide their current tax clearance certificates and all other relevant revenue documents at the end of one week to enable the state government to review and consider their formal letters for re-opening otherwise they would be auctioned off or permanently forfeited to the state government.
However, our correspondent gathered on Wednesday that trouble started when traders whose shops were sealed told market leadership that their shops must be unsealed for business or those unsealed will not open for business.
Reports say soldiers and policemen deployed to the market by the governors started shorting indiscriminately and two traders were shot dead while several were wounded. .
In a statement, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Chidiebere Onyia, said the protesting traders “defied the instruction on how the shops should be re-opened and resorted to self-help by removing the seals”.
“This led to internal squabbles between the market leadership and some of the affected traders.”
Onyia said the scuffle was infiltrated and hijacked by armed hoodlums who broke shops and looted traders’ wares.
The SSG said the “government is receiving further briefings on the development” and “investigation to unravel the circumstance surrounding the incident, including the reports of casualty, is already ongoing”.
“Government calls on the people and residents of Enugu to remain calm and go about their lawful businesses, as adequate security measures are in place to secure lives and property in the State.”