By Sandra Kenneth
Traders along the commercial bank line within the Oyigbo Ultra-Modern Market in Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State have appealed to the Federal Government, the Inspector General of Police, and the Rivers State Government to intervene following an alleged brutal assault by members of the local council’s task force on street trading.
The task force, reportedly led by one Kenneth Okonkwo, is accused of inflicting a severe machete wound and multiple bodily injuries on Ogechi Ekweme, the market line’s chairperson, during a dispute over alleged double taxation.
Our correspondent who visited the victim reported seeing a deep machete cut that severely damaged her right foot, along with extensive bruising across her body.
Speaking from her hospital bed amidst severe pain, Ekweme accused Okonkwo of systematically targeting traders on her line. She explained that the violence erupted after Okonkwo demanded an additional ₦10,000 levy from each female trader, despite having previously collected a total sum of ₦250,000 from them.
Eyewitnesses and fellow traders corroborated the account, describing the task force’s operations as heavy-handed and unlawful. They further lamented that their livelihoods have been paralyzed after the Oyigbo LGA Chairman subsequently ordered the sealing of their shops. The traders called on relevant authorities to urgently come to their aid.
The victim’s husband, Ekweme Egu, also stated that the task force leader led thugs to seal his own shop located in a completely different section of the market. He condemned the severe, life-threatening injuries inflicted on his wife and urged the Rivers State Commissioner of Police to investigate the activities of the task force.
Efforts to reach Okonkwo or representatives of the task force for a reaction were unsuccessful, as phone calls to their mobile lines failed to connect at the time of filing this report.
