Commercial activities in Calabar the Cross River State were slowed down
at the popular Etim Edem Motor Park as traders locked their shops in
protest against the management of the park for alleged incessant
battering, extortion and harassments.
The traders under the umbrella, Etim Edem Traders Welfare Association,
led by their Chairman, Comrade Etim Akpan took to the streets adjoining
the market to call on the Calabar South Local Government Council
Chairman, Mrs Majorie Asuquo to sack of the management of the park led
by Michael Mesembe.
The traders who said they have endured the constant humiliation of their
executive members by the park managers for long without complaining,
erupted into protest after the secretary of their association, Chukwu
Emeka Eke was allegedly battered to a point of coma and one of his eyes
injured.
The traders insisted that either the park management is replaced or they
would continue in their protest to persuade the relevant authorities to
act.
“It is better we are managed by armed robbers than by the present
management where our members are daily subjected to battering,
extortion, harassments and verbal assault by Imoh and his boys. We will
continue to protest peacefully until the authorities that put him there
acts on our demand,” Comrade Akpan said.
The Chairman alleged that they are asked to pay sums ranging between
N20, 000 to N30, 000 by the management of the park to even fix their own
stalls.
Akpan said, “The matter that resulted in the battering of Chukwu Emeka
to a point of coma follows the demand from management of the park that
every trader who displays goods outside his stall should pay the sum of
N20,000 in addition to the amount paid for each stall and when one of
the traders insisted on not paying his goods were destroyed by Imoh, the
operations officer of the park and his boys which resulted in a
scuffle and when the secretary went to find out what was wrong, he was
attacked.
“Imoh brought out his chest and started with me and rained all sorts of
abuses on me and there is nobody that can contend with him and when the
secretary came, he did not join issues with them but simply asked what
the matter was and Imoh and five of his boys started to assault him
and threw him on the concrete floor and continued to beat him until the
liquid in his eyes came out”.
The traders who took the protest to the nearby Atakpa Police Station
were addressed the Divisional Police Officer for the Division, DSP
Rasheed, and the Chairman of Calabar South Local Government Council,
Majorie Asuquo.
The DPO said Imoh and his colleagues who battered the trader would be charged to court.
The council chairman said it was unfortunate that the park management
which was instituted to take charge of motor vehicles in the park had
over stepped it bounds by meddling into the activities of traders just
to extort money from them.
“Each time I wanted anything from the traders I always write to them
through their association and have not sent anybody to terrorise or
extort money from them and this must stop and I am going to ensure that
drastic changes are effected in the market immediately to put pay to
ugly situations like this,” she said.
She appealed to the traders to resume normal business activities while
she undertakes the process of carrying out reforms in the market.
