Enugu State Police Command has cleared the air on Thursday’s crisis at the New Artisan Market, saying, ‘it was a case of unlawful resistance, by unscrupulous elements, to the execution of a Court Order issued by High Court of Enugu State, authorising the demolition of structures and possession of the land area covering the Market by Nwajanja Family of Akpugo in Nkanu West Local Government Area of the State. ”
A statement from the Nigeria Police Force, Enugu State Command, made available by the command’s Public relations officer, ASP Daniel Ndukwe, reads:
“Acts of violence at new artisan market: normalcy restored
-As CP orders thorough investigation
to fish out perpetrators
while urging residents to go about their lawful businesses without fear of intimidation or harassment.
“The Commissioner of Police, Enugu State Command, CP Mohammed Ndatsu Aliyu, psc, has ordered the immediate launch of thorough investigation to fish out and bring to book, miscreants whose acts of violence led to the sustaining of injuries by innocent citizens, vandalism and burning of vehicles at New Artisan Market, along Enugu/Port-Harcourt Expressway, Enugu about 4pm of today, 22/04/2021.
” Preliminary investigation reveals that the unscrupulous elements within the Market, became riotous and resisted the execution of a Court Order issued by High Court of Enugu State, authorizing the demolition of structures and possession of the land area covering the Market by Nwajanja Family of Akpugo in Nkanu West L.G.A. of the State. It further shows that the unwarranted rioters set up burn-fires on the road, obstructed vehicular movement, injured unascertained number of persons, vandalized two (2) caterpillars that had gone to carry out the demolition exercise and set ablaze three (3) vehicles.
“Meanwhile, normalcy has been restored by Police Operatives, while fives (5) persons connected with the riotous act have been arrested and are helping ongoing investigation.
” Consequently, the Commissioner has enjoined law-abiding members of the public, especially those plying the NNPC Mega Station axis of Enugu/Port-Harcourt Expressway, to go about their lawful businesses without fear of intimidation or harassment, as necessary measures have been taken to forestall further occurrence of the riotous act.
Meanwhile, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi
has warned miscreants at the New Artisan Market to desist from criminality and vacate the area.
This followed the Thursday civil disturbances in the area.
In a statement by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Information, Steve Orurua, the state government said that the land belongs to the family of His Royal Highness, Igwe Gabriel Nnaji (NWAJANJA) and that the occupants were there illegally.
The statement reads:
“The attention of Enugu State Government has been drawn to the brigandage roguery, banditry and lawlessness exhibited by some hoodlums at New Artisan Market today being Thursday, the 22nd of April 2021, acting under the cloak of a demonstration while surreptitiously and unlawfully disobeying an order of Court.
“The social and mass media have also been inundated with divergent tales of what perhaps appeared a crisis.
‘It has become necessary to make it abundantly clear that the aforesaid property illegally occupied by traders, particularly livestock dealers from the North, belongs to the family of a revered traditional Ruler and Statesman, late HRH Igwe Gabriel Nnaji (NWAJANJA) of which there is a subsisting judgement of the court to that effect.
“The Enugu State Government, Law enforcement agencies and the leadership of the predominantly Hausa merchant community of New Artisan Market were duly briefed on the intended execution of the judgement and its implications.
“In line with good conscience and utmost regard for human dignity, a robust plan was set in motion to resettle these traders whose importance to the economy of the state cannot be underestimated.
“While the leadership and genuine members of the business community peacefully and gladly leveraged on the alternative property benevolently offered by the peace-loving Governor of the State, some miscreants and hoodlums who had apparently reduced the property to an abode of criminality and immorality capitalised on the prevailing circumstance to instigate a crisis.”, he said
The statement noted that Enugu State has a historic reputation for hospitality to her vast demography of migrant residents, which has grown stronger under the administration of His Excellency, Rt Hon Ifeanyi Lawrence Ugwuanyi.
“The Governor has diligently and consciously instilled the spirit of harmonious coexistence of law abiding residents within the state without prejudice to ethnic or religious sentiments. Therefore, no brigandage, disobedience of court order, gimmick or brazen lawlessness displayed by a few recalcitrants will thwart the peaceful coexistence, serene ambience and thriving amity enjoyed in the Coal City State.
“In furtherance to his unwavering commitment to protect the lives and properties of the citizenry, the Governor has swiftly instructed security agencies to take absolute control of the situation and sufficiently punish anybody found in breach of the law. The Governor has also been briefed of the efforts and resilience of the Enugu State police command to unravel the cause, extent of the destruction and those responsible for them.
The Government of Enugu State is saddened by the grave losses occasioned by this development and is determined to decisively deal with the situation .
“While the government of Enugu State shall continue to jealously sustain the cordial relationship with every law-abiding resident of the state irrespective of background, orientation, leaning and affiliation, it shall uncompromisingly adhere to the principles of Rule of Law.
“We, therefore, enjoin the public to ignore any reckless, provocative, incendiary or inflammatory pictorials and sentiments fruitlessly bandied by unscrupulous elements to incite elusive restiveness. The general public are hereby encouraged to go about their businesses without fear of intimidation or harassment, ” he said.
Meanwhile, Ugwuanyi, on Thursday, inaugurated the newly asphalted 22.443km Neke-Mbu-Ogbodu Abba-Obollo Etti road, awarded under the Phase one roads of the Rural Access and Mobility Project (#RAMP-2) in the state.
Inaugurating the road which connects Isi-Uzo and Udenu Local Government Areas of the state, Ugwuanyi disclosed that the project was in line with his administration’s rural development agenda, stressing that it will ease “the movement of goods and persons while advancing our administration’s rural connectivity and integrated development strategy”.
He said that two collapsed Bailey bridges were also reconstructed . He added that “this 22.443km road received asphaltic concrete surfacing along its entire length representing a pioneering instance of asphaltic concreting of RAMP-2 roads since the programme’s inception in Nigeria”.
Ugwuanyi expressed gratitude to the World Bank and French Development Agency (AFD) for yielding to his administration’s persuasion for the novelty in asphalting of RAMP-2 roads in the country.
The governor tasked the beneficiary communities to “take ownership of this critical infrastructure, protect it and optimize its utilitarian value”, stressing that “Our administration is committed to the establishment of Enugu State Rural Road Maintenance Agency for enhancement of the durability and serviceability of rural road infrastructure while we desirably strive to participate in the RAMP-2 successor Project, the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), for consolidation of the gains made in RAMP-2”.
Earlier in his speech, the National Coordinator for Rural Access and Mobility Project (RAMP) and Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (#RAAMP), Federal Project Management Unit (FPMU), Abuja, Aminu Bodinga Mohammed, commended Ugwuanyi for his administration’s performance of Enugu RAMP-2 “that has successfully constructed a total of 417.682km rural roads against the set target of 370km”.
He said that “this laudable achievement is quite commendable”, pointing out that the administration of Ugwuanyi, which paid its counterpart funds, “was also able to construct a total of 23 nos. River Crossings against the set target of 16”.
According to him, “the achievement of the state cannot be over emphasized, most especially the completion of about 270km of roads within 11 months.
“Let me also congratulate the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) team under the able leadership of Engr. Chinedu Ugwu for a work well done in Enugu State. I urge the state to keep up the good works”.
In their remarks, the State Project Coordinator for Enugu RAMP-2, Engr. Ugwu and the State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Greg Nnaji commended Gov. Ugwuanyi for his commitment to the success of RAMP projects in the state, in spite of the state’s lean resources as a result of the nation’s economic challenges.
The State Project Coordinator said that RAMP-2 has constructed over 418 rural roads, several bridges and culverts in the state.
The Works Commissioner stated that the state government paid all the required counterpart funds for the construction of the RAMP projects, despite the nation’s economic challenges.
In their goodwill messages, the State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Augustine Nnamani, the Chairman, State Assembly House Committee on Works, Rt. Hon. Chima Obieze, the Commissioner for Environment, Hon. Chijioke Edeoga, Chairman of Udenu LGA and the State Chairman of ALGON, Hon. Solomon Onah, his Isi-Uzo counterpart, Hon. Jacob Abonyi, indigenes of the two council areas, appreciated Ugwuanyi for his sustained commitment to rural development.
