Traders in Abakpa main market Abakaliki Ebonyi state Monday protested against the sudden change of leadership in the market.
The traders in a bid to show their grievances, shutdown all stores in the market thereby hampering morning business.
When Blueprint visited the market to speak with the embattled chairman, he was seen in the company of Nigerian police who arrested him.
However, some traders in the market revealed that the chairman was removed by state government over night because he has refused to comply to their demand which is affecting traders negatively.
According to them, the chairman supported the trader for not relocating to St Margaret Umahi international market along trans- Sahara road in Abakaliki, and also he had refused to constitute task force to collect tax from trader which made many trader to be indebted to the state government.
Meanwhile the state commissioner for Boarder Peace and Internal Security, Mr Stanley Okoro Emegha who arrived the scene along security men calmed the situation and urged the traders to go about their legal business.
He said the chairman was only suspended for incompetency.
His words: “there is an uprising; the leadership of the market changed the former chairman by name Eze. He was supposed to hand over to a new chairman but is like he is finding it difficult to do so and is causing uprising. This has been put to control.
“Most of them are still taking instruction from the former chairman that is why they refused to open their shops. He has no such right to stop the people from opening their shops, he is not government.
“That is rumour, he was suspended not impeached. Normally when somebody is suspended there will be another to act in his capacity, this is a very big market it cannot be allowed to have vacuum somebody has to step in to act. He was suspended for misappropriation.
“Of course yes his arrest is for him not to constitute nuisance, he will be released after proper interrogations by security agents”. He said.
