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Anambra Governor Soludo
By Alphonsus Nweze, Awka
Traders of UPJA Plank and Joist Association in Bridgehead Market, Onitsha, Anambra State, have demanded N700million from Anambra State Government and Onitsha South Local Government Area as compensation for the malicious demolition of their plaza.
In a pre-action notice served both the Local and State Governments on May this year by the leadership of the market through their lawyer, C.I. Okoye of Iloegbune Okoye and Co chambers, they demanded in alternative the immediate reconstruction of the plaza.
The traders also asked from both Governments for the payment of N500million being the value of their articles of trade destroyed during the demolition.
Alternatively, they said the governments should pay them N700million and a letter of apology to them for the malicious and over-zealousness of the Anambra State Government’s agents.
In the pre-action notice which was copied to the Secretary to the Anambra State Government, the State Attorney -General and Commissioner for Justice, Commissioner for Trade and Commerce, the Chairman, Anambra State Physical Planning Board and the chairman, Transition Committee, Onitsha South Local Government Area, the traders said they were duly granted approvals by the Ministry of Trade and Commerce and the State Physical Planning Board (ANSSPPB) for the construction of the plaza.
The traders also said that they paid N566, 400 to the State Board of Internal Revenue as approval fees for the building.
It was based on the approvals, they said in the notice , that they commenced and completed the one storey building plaza, which was taken by traders/ members who contributed money for the project.
After one year of the completion and allocation of the plaza the chairman of Onitsha South Local Government, Mr. Emeka Orji, acting in concert with the Anambra State Government maliciously broke into the plaza with bulldozer and members of Local Government vigilant groups and pulled down the plaza.
“He, Emeka Orji, exhibited the most unconscionable, dastardly and! wicked act by directing and supervising the pulling down of UPJA plaza regardless of the goods and articles of trade packed inside the building complex” said the Traders’ Lawyer in the Pre-action notice.
They continued: “We make bold to say that the essence of government is to protect lives and properties of the citizenry and not to destroy them as seen in the conduct of the State Government”.
They said since they went ahead to flout the law, they should provide the remedy by meeting their demands which if they fail they would be dragged to Court.
Meanwhile, the chairman of UPJA, Chief Emmanuel Obunso, has alleged that Orji and his boys had carted away the materials from the demolished plaza and sold them as scraps.
Some of the items, he said, they carried were iron rods, roofing sheets, blocks, aluminum, some goods of their members they destroyed when they pulled down the plaza.
