Commercial activities in Calabar the Cross River State were slowed down at the popular Etim Edem Motor Park as traders locked their shops in protest against the management of the park for alleged incessant battering, extortion and harassments.
The traders under the umbrella, Etim Edem Traders Welfare Association, led by their Chairman, Comrade Etim Akpan took to the streets adjoining the market to call on the Calabar South Local Government Council Chairman, Mrs Majorie Asuquo to sack of the management of the park led by Michael Mesembe.
The traders who said they have endured the constant humiliation of their executive members by the park managers for long without complaining, erupted into protest after the secretary of their association, Chukwu Emeka Eke was allegedly battered to a point of coma and one of his eyes injured.
The traders insisted that either the park management is replaced or they would continue in their protest to persuade the relevant authorities to act.
“It is better we are managed by armed robbers than by the present management where our members are daily subjected to battering, extortion, harassments and verbal assault by Imoh and his boys. We will continue to protest peacefully until the authorities that put him there acts on our demand,” Comrade Akpan said.
The Chairman alleged that they are asked to pay sums ranging between N20, 000 to N30, 000 by the management of the park to even fix their own stalls.
Akpan said, “The matter that resulted in the battering of Chukwu Emeka to a point of coma follows the demand from management of the park that every trader who displays goods outside his stall should pay the sum of N20,000 in addition to the amount paid for each stall and when one of the traders insisted on not paying his goods were destroyed by Imoh, the operations officer of the park and his boys which resulted in a scuffle and when the secretary went to find out what was wrong, he was attacked.
“Imoh brought out his chest and started with me and rained all sorts of abuses on me and there is nobody that can contend with him and when the secretary came, he did not join issues with them but simply asked what the matter was and Imoh and five of his boys started to assault him and threw him on the concrete floor and continued to beat him until the liquid in his eyes came out”.
The traders who took the protest to the nearby Atakpa Police Station were addressed the Divisional Police Officer for the Division, DSP Rasheed, and the Chairman of Calabar South Local Government Council, Majorie Asuquo.
The DPO said Imoh and his colleagues who battered the trader would be charged to court.
The council chairman said it was unfortunate that the park management which was instituted to take charge of motor vehicles in the park had over stepped it bounds by meddling into the activities of traders just to extort money from them.
“Each time I wanted anything from the traders I always write to them through their association and have not sent anybody to terrorise or extort money from them and this must stop and I am going to ensure that drastic changes are effected in the market immediately to put pay to ugly situations like this,” she said.
She appealed to the traders to resume normal business activities while she undertakes the process of carrying out reforms in the market.
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