Ozomagana Market Crisis deepens as Abuja police arrest chairman for 7th time

…..Rights Groups Urge IGP, Disu to Intervene, Cite Pending Court Cases

By Cyprian Ebele, Onitsha

The protracted dispute between traders at Ozomagana Building Materials Market, Onitsha, Anambra State, and their landlord, the Modebe family, has taken a fresh turn following the reported seventh arrest of the market chairman, Obinna Okoro, by suspected operatives of the Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) from Abuja.

The latest arrest according to investigation has drawn condemnation from human rights advocates, who have called on the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Tunji Disu, and Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, to intervene and prevent further escalation of the dispute.

The crisis, which has reportedly lasted for about two years, centres on seven plazas leased to traders under a 50-year agreement, for which the traders said they had made payments and obtained documentation.

However, the traders alleged that the Modebe family subsequently sought a fresh agreement, a move they claimed was intended to increase the lease payments. The traders reportedly rejected the demand, leading to a protracted disagreement between both parties.

The traders further alleged that the repeated arrests of their chairman and other market executives were intended to pressure them into accepting a new lease agreement against their will. The allegations could not be independently verified at the time of filling this report.

Reacting to the latest arrest, the Anambra State Chairman of the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), Vincent Ezekwueme, condemned what he described as the repeated arrest of the market chairman and other executives.

Ezekwueme called on Governor Soludo to intervene, arguing that the presence of police formations in Anambra State made it necessary to examine the circumstances surrounding the repeated deployment of operatives from Abuja to handle the dispute.

He also expressed concern that the matter was reportedly pending before two courts, insisting that the judicial process should be allowed to run its course without actions capable of undermining it.

According to him, the continued arrests of the traders’ representatives raise concerns about the use of police powers in a dispute involving competing claims over a commercial property.

Similarly, Abuja-based activist Peter Nwangwu expressed concern over the reported arrest of Okoro, particularly given the claim that the dispute was already before two courts.

Nwangwu, who said he had been monitoring the matter from its earlier stages at the Police Special Investigation Unit (SIU) through the Police Legal Department and now the IRT, alleged that the traders were being subjected to repeated police actions in connection with the lease disagreement.

He called on IGP Disu to investigate the circumstances surrounding the latest arrest and establish whether the police were being drawn into what he described as a private contractual dispute.

Nwangwu further alleged that the dispute had continued to attract the attention of different police formations in Abuja despite the traders’ claims that the substantive issues were already before the courts.

The activist further alleged that the latest deployment of the IRT followed the traders’ earlier encounters with other police units and called for an investigation into the conduct of the team handling the case.

According to him, the latest operation at the market resulted in Okoro’s arrest, while the market secretary, Patrick Obiekwe, reportedly escaped arrest.

Nwangwu also named Sam Modebe, Pastor Olisa Modebe and Richard Modebe as individuals allegedly included on a police arrest list, claiming that some members of the Modebe family were opposed to the actions of another faction within the family.

The claims concerning the alleged arrest list and divisions within the Modebe family could not be independently confirmed.

The rights advocates maintained that the authorities should establish the facts surrounding the dispute, ensure that all parties are treated fairly and prevent the use of law enforcement agencies to intimidate either side.

They urged IGP Disu to review the circumstances surrounding the repeated arrests, while calling for the courts to determine the substantive issues arising from the lease agreement.

As of the time of filing this report, the response of the Modebe family and the police authorities to the allegations was not available as efforts to reach them are unsuccessful. And also, the outcome of the reported court proceedings was yet to be ascertained at the time of filling this report.