Traders accuse Plateau government for vandalization, marginalization

Traders in Plateau State, Wednesday, accused Plateau State Government for vandalizing, marginalizing and persecuting shop owners who trade at the popular Chobe market in Jos North Local Government Area of the State.

The traders who spoke through the Chairman of Chobe Traders Association, Mr. Sunday Okpe, said that they were embarrassingly shocked to see that their shops were vandalized and their wares looted by government agents claimed to have come from the Jos Metropolitan Development Board (JMDB).

Mr. Okpe said that the vandalization and looting of the traders wares took place during environmental sanitation exercise hours when no street trading activity was happening and or taking place at anywhere in Nigeria including Chobe.

The Traders Association Chairman, said that 90 – 100 percent of the traders trading at Chobe market are Igbos.

His words, “one wonders what the government is going to achieve with the marginalization routing and driving away of Igbos from Jos, bearing in mind that Igbos were in the past driven from Kwararafa, Dilimi, Gangere, Yan Shanu and Terminus markets.

“Igbo traders lost their wares, shops, houses, bread winners, husbands and wives in the attacks that took place at the above mentioned areas”.

However, In a protest letter to Governor Simon Lalong, a copy of which was made available to our correspondent in Jos, the traders said they were informed that the Ministry of Commerce and Industry had instructed that they should stop trading activities at the market, adding that they confronted the officials of the ministry on why they should be asked to stop carrying out businesses in the area since it is a neighborhood market.

The officials consequently informed that doing businesses in private homes and house was not against the law, that what they only frowned at was trading along the streets.

The Traders promptly complied and directed their members to clean the streets of all illegal structures, adding that the officials
thereafter directed them to start dealing with officials of the Jos Metropolitan Development Board henceforth.

“The traders again complied and dialogue with the JMDB, which promised the traders a peaceful, undisturbed and unviolated stay in
their businesses and shops, only for them to wake up one sanitation morning and found that their shops were vandalized.

Following the unfortunate development, the traders call on Governor Simon Lalong led APC government to pay for the losses.

When our correspondent contacted JMDB, they declined comment as all effort to reach the Commissioner for Industry, Trade and Commerce proved abortive as at the time of filling this report