There was pandemonium in Abakaliki on Wednesday as traders at the Abakpa main market clashed with revenue officials over Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) which allegedly led to the death of one person.
Incensed by the death, the traders rioted and were on the verge of vandalising shops of some the market leaders allegedly working with the government when Police intervened to disperse them.
A source at the market narrated that trouble started when the Special Adviser to Governor David Umahi on IGR, Martin’s Okwuegbu and the Commissioner for Internal Security and Border Peace, Stanley Emegha led some youths to collect the IGR from some traders in the market.
The youths it was gathered, were members of Ekubaraoha Youth Assembly (EYA).
The source alleged that the ‘revenue collectors’ were using the IGR collection as cover to close down the shops of some traders who took the state government to court over the leadership dispute in the market.
According to him, the traders had gone to court to challenge the removal of the market leadership before the expiration of their tenure and imposition of a new interim leadership on them by the state government.
“They came to the market and were taken to the shops of the traders that took them to court and they started closing their shops accusing them of not paying IGR”.
“One of the sons of one of the traders entered into altercation with them and in the process a fight broke out”.
“As they were beating him he fell on the ground forcefully and hit his head on the ground and lost consciousness”.
It was gathered that the traders immediately mobilized and attacked the IGR team and beat some of them up while others escaped.
Not done, the traders began rioting. They went to the shop of one of the leaders believed to be working with the government and attempted to vandalise it when Police arrived and chased them away.
The Police tear gassed many of them to disperse them and arrested many others. Police spokesman, Loveth Odah denied that anyone was killed in the incident.
She confirmed that one person sustained injury on the head and was rushed to the Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki for treatment.
