Cattle Markets In South-East Are Terrorists Hideout, IPOB Says

The Indigenous People of Biafra has slammed the Governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, for not taking any drastic action against the Hausa cattle sellers that attacked his government officials at the New Artisan market on Thursday.

IPOB also queried why the Nigerian army has not deployed its personnel and weapons to fight the marketers that brandished Ak-47 rifles against public workers in broad daylight.

It added that the gesture showed that all cattle markets operated by Hausa in the South-East are secure refuge to terrorists.

The pro-Biafra group said this in a statement through its spokesman, Emma Powerful, on Saturday.

The Hausa cattle traders on Thursday evening had resisted the Enugu State Government officials who went to demolish the New Artisan Market, according to a ruling of the State High Court.

The traders reportedly went inside the market, brought several AK-47 rifles and chased away the officials and police detachment, destroying a police Hilux vehicle in the process.

An eyewitness, who gave his name as Sampson Okorie, said, “I was opposite the market when four police vehicles with about ten policemen arrived at the place with people suspected to be government officials. Earlier in the day, two bulldozers were deployed to the area.

“Shortly after the police arrived, there were gunshots in the air. I came out from the shop where I was and saw people scampering for safety. The policemen were also running.

“The next thing I saw was gun-wielding traders, who came out and blocked the NNPC end of the Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway and stopping vehicular movement, just as they set up bonfires along the expressway. When the atmosphere became tense, I moved out of the area,” Okorie said.

The state Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Aliyu, confirmed the incident when contacted on the telephone.