About five persons reportedly sustained injury in a bloody clash between suspected agents of Anambra state government codenamed, Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra (OCHA) brigade with traders of Onitsha International Electronics market over alleged forceful collection of loading levy in the market.
The Nation gathered that trouble started when some revenue collectors suddenly stormed the market, claiming they were under directive to commence collection of N30,000 to N40,000, depending on size of articulated trucks.
The traders who were said to have resisted the payment, describing it as outrageous, insisting they would pay the normal N5,000 to their leaders who were to use to.
“While the heated argument ensued, some officials of OCHA Brigade, who were at a distance watching the drama, immediately, rushed to the scene, harassed and assaulted some of the traders while trying to force them to pay the levy.
“The traders’ resistance degenerated into a free-for-all fight which led to no fewer than five persons sustaining various degrees of injury,” narrated an eyewitness who preferred anonymity.
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A trader who identified himself as Onyeka Madume, said he narrowly escaped death as he was hit by a flying club, stating that they were about five that sustained various degrees of injuries.
Reacting, Chairman of the market, Ifeanyi Egwuenu, said the traders were not against the exorbitant levy following government’s directive, but against outsiders, coming to collect the levy in their market.
He said, “We are not against the high levy even if previously we paid N5,000 for the loading and offloading in the market. What we are saying is that since it is in our market, we should be allowed to do the collection and hand over to them.
“Doing it by ourselves helps us to monitor people who come into our market because about five of our members were previously kidnapped in the market.
“It’s not as if to say we are fighting government. Rather, we want to be conscious of transactions in our market which has helped to restore peace here.”