Angry traders ground commercial activities in Aba (Photo)
Commercial
and economic activities were on Friday afternoon grounded along the
ever busy Faulks road in Aba, Abia State as traders of Bakassi Line,
Ariaria International Market protests killing of their members by
officials of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Aba.
Our correspondent who was at the scene
of the incident until about 5:30pm report that both commercial banks
branches and shop owners along Faulks road, A Line, Power Line gate
I&2, Samek, Bakassi Line and amongst others were forced to close
their shops as soon as the situation went out of control.
Unconfirmed reports have it that two
traders that were in their shops doing their normal businesses were
killed by stray bullets from NDLEA officials who had shot at drug
dealers who were fleeing from an illegal drug bunk in the area.
A source who confirmed that many
traders were injured told our correspondent that only one person hit by
the bullet died on the spot.
Sources told our correspondent that other traders in the area also sustained injuries from the gun shots.
The situation was said to have
worsened when a group of another traders brought the lifeless body of
one of those hit by the bullet and dropped his corpse in front of the
police station.
It was gathered that the traders
angered by the situation, went after the NDLEA personnel who ran into
the Ariaria Police Station for safety.
A report had it that some of the
traders overpowered the policemen on guard at the police station and
went after the NDLEA official and in the process, set free some detained
suspects in the police cells.
While another report had it that
efforts by the traders to gain entrance into the police station to
attack the NDLEA official was foiled by the efforts of the combined team
of Police from Abayi, Eziama and other divisions in the city who fired
several teargas canisters into the air to wade off the surging traders
from gaining entry into the Ariaria Police Station.
The police were later joined by army
personnel who arrived the scene with about four patrol van and an
Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) to repel the from entering the police
station and carrying out a reprisal attack.
As at the time of filing this report,
staff and customers of various commercial banks on the road were still
in their bank premises, even as traders whose shops were far away from
the place of the incident could not go into the bank to deposit their
cash because both soldiers and other security personnel had restricted
movement on the road.
Some of them who spoke to our
correspondent feared that keeping the money in their shops or home when
it was expected that the banks would resume operations may mean a great
risk even as they could not have access to other parts of the town to
deposit their cash in other bank branches.
Dele Akingbade, NDLEA Abia State Commandant failed to pick his calls as he was busying his line whenever his phone rang.
Abia State Police Public Relations
Officer, Ezekiel Udeviotu Onyeke when contacted said he was yet to be
briefed on the incident but disclosed that the State Commissioner of
Police, Habila Joshiak was already in Aba to ascertain the situation.
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