Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Aderemi Adeoye, yesterday, advised police officers, political leaders, and others against meddling in the leadership tussle at Oyibo Market, Amawbia.
Adeoye particularly admonished the Transition Committee Chairman of Awka South Local Council, Thankgod Anagor; Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Chukwuna Okoye; Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of State Criminal Investigations Department (SCID), and others in different police formations.
The advice came on the heels of a protest by women traders under the aegis of Amawbia Market Amalgamated Traders Association (AMATA) against alleged harassment, intimidation and threat to life of their president, Daniel Nwokoye, by opposition groups.
The protesters carried placards with inscriptions such as: ‘Detractors should stop bringing cultists to Oyibo Market’, ‘Deputy Speaker of Anambra State House of Assembly is sponsoring crises in Amawbia Market’, ‘We stand behind Daniel Nwokoye as our president’, and ‘Our matter is in court, let the court decide’.
Addressing the Commissioner of Police represented by Ibrahim Ezekiel during the protest, AMATA’s counsel, Chibuzo Ezenwa, said the protest was in condemnation of the use of armed operatives, in cohort with privileged persons in positions of authority to instill fear in the people and their duly recognised leader, thereby disrupting daily business activities.
Ezenwa also said the protesters came to show solidarity with Nwokoye, who they said was invited by the police command in Amawbia, yesterday, in connection with an alleged frivolous petition by loyalists of sacked deputy president of the market, Uchendu Nwachukwu, among others.
At the scheduled meeting with the commissioner, Adeoye frowned at the alleged involvement of certain top government officials in the market imbroglio, and specifically directed the council boss to limit his office to collection of revenue, and not dabble into market leadership matters.
He also directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of SCID and others to stay away from the leadership tussle and allow Nwokoye to exercise his full power as AMATA’s president, pending the determination of the substantive suit in court.
