July, 26, (THEWILL) – At least two persons have been reportedly shot dead when protests erupted in some parts of Enugu, as traders, businessmen and women took to the streets in protest against the closure of their shops and offices by the Enugu State Government.
The Peter Mbah-led administration made good its threat to close down businesses that failed to open on Monday, in response to the sit-at-home order imposed by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Eyewitnesses told our correspondent that the police that were dispatched by the State Government to disperse the protesters shot live bullets into the crowd, leading to the deaths of two people.
The protests which started at the Ogbete Main Market, the largest market in the state, and one of the biggest in the southeast, quickly spread to the nearby Ogui road, with protesters creating bonfires in the middle of the roads and chanting anti-government slogans.
Leaders of the Ogbete Main Market, where many shops were locked by the government enforcement team, had decided not to open for business on Wednesday, in solidarity with their members whose businesses had been closed, following the governor’s directive.
Angry youths and other residents, who make their daily living from the services they render at the market began the protest, but it quickly spread as other residents joined, swelling the number to thousands, leading to the barricading of all the roads leading to the Ogbete Market and the adjoining Okpara Avenue and Ogui Road.
The protesters lamented the desperate state of the state’s economy and wondered why the governor’s priority was to shut down businesses where the masses draw out their daily living.
They also accused Governor Mbah of infringing on their rights to Freedom of Choice, wondering how it affected governance if people decided not to open their shops on a particular day.
“This government is cruel and not focused, one of the protesters told our correspondent. “How does it concern them if we decide not to go to work on any particular day? It is within our rights to decide on when and how to do our business, as long as we do not infringe on the law.”
Another protester also accused the government of abdication of their responsibilities and demanded the restoration of security in the state before trying to ban the sit-at-home.
“As I am talking to you now, people are being kidnapped in many parts of the state every day. It is almost impossible for people to travel to Nsukka because of the fear of kidnappers. People are afraid to travel through the Four-Corner area to Onitsha and Udi, because of kidnappers. Even in Enugu here, people are robbed and kidnapped routinely, and the government has not even said a word about it, yet they will lock our shops because we want to stay away from the harm that could possibly come to us if the IPOB people begin to attack us for violating their sit-at-home order. We want to do our business. We are not happy staying away from our businesses every Monday. But the government should first get rid of the criminals that attack us on Mondays when we open for business so that we can find it safe to open our shops and conduct our businesses.”
Another trader, who spoke to our correspondent, accused Governor Mbah of dereliction of duty and wondered if forcing traders to open their shops on Monday was the most important issue facing the state.
“Look at the roads here, they have been taken over by refuse heaps. All the major roads in the city have been converted to dump sites. How will a governor that cannot rid the state of dirt be able to rid the state of insecurity and make it conducive for business?”
Upon assumption of office on May 29, 2023, Governor Peter Mbah placed a ban on the sit-at-home order imposed by the IPOB and threatened to punish civil servants and private businesses that fail to be at work on Mondays.
The governor’s order coincided with the resumption of violent crimes and kidnapping in many parts of the state, and citizens blamed it on the governor’s order.
The governor’s forceful closure of businesses ran contrary to the position of the State Police Command, which said it was not the duty of the state to compel citizens to open their businesses, but rather to make the atmosphere conducive for businesses.
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