150 Shops To Be Demolished In Onitsha

A total of 150 shops would be demolished in Onitsha commercial town of Anambra state following the building of the shops along the drainage channel and also obstructing road construction going on in the area.

But the traders at Progress Market Extension Haruna – Niger and Ifejika Streets, Odoakpu Onitsha, Monday have threatened to battle the Onitsha South local Government Area. Chairman Mr Emeka Orji contending that he has no right to do so adding that they would resist the demolition.

The Onitsha South Local Government Authority had in a letter to the traders dated June 15, 2023 signed by Mr. P . Onuachala, Special Duties Adviser, for Onitsha South Local Government Chairman, given the traders 48 hours told owners / occupiers to dismantle the shops to safe their goods and materials from demolition/enforcement action.

However, the traders in reply to letter through their lawyers, Chief Ikenna Egbuna, SAN, and Mr. C.M. Obijagwa, Esq, respectively, entitled Re “Final Notice to Remove shops at Progress Market Extension near Haruna Street Odoakpu Onitsha, said their shops were not built on the drainage system where the state government is carrying out expansion work, neither are they obstructing the ongoing construction of a bridge in the area.

But the Council Chairman Mr Emeka Orji told reporters that the threats by the traders are empty contending that they have been warned easier to remove their goods before the demolition.

“These are shops built on top of water channel and it is also disturbing the reconstruction of roads embarked upon by the Anambra state government”

“The traders know very well that those shops are on the major road and some of them have blocked the drainage constructed when those roads were built before”

“The government of Prof Charles Soludo has zero tolerance to lawlessness and would not condole this act of illegality and rascality by any person or group of persons”

“The government has taken road construction as it’s first line charge and nothing can stop those roads from being constructed and the demolition would go on” he said