The popular Abakpa Market in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, was shut down on Wednesday, following the alleged death of an apprentice. The victim was said to have been beaten to death by persons suspected to be thugs who reportedly accompanied government officials to the market to enforce payment of tax on behalf of the state government.
Our Correspondent gathered that the Ebonyi State Government task force had gone to the market to press the marketers to pay their taxes, a situation which resulted to an uprising that eventually led to chaos. During the pandemonium, the source said, policemen drafted to the area teargassed the marketers, even as the aggrieved markers were said to have responded by hauling stones and other dangerous materials. An eyewitness recounted, “Government officials had come around to demand for tax. “When they got to a man’s shop, he was said to have demanded to know what the matter was. This reportedly made one of the thugs who followed the government officials to slap the shop owner. “The man retaliated and they started beating the man, leading to his death. “Policemen have since taken over the market and the market is currently shut down. The Ebonyi State Police Command said it could not confirm the incident as of the time of filing this report. The Command’s spokesperson, Loveth Odah, told journalists in Abakaliki on Wednesday that she would not comment on the matter because her men were yet to return from the crisis scene. Reacting to the incident, the Special Assistant to Ebonyi State Governor on Internally Generated Revenue, Okwuegu Martin, denied the death of one of the traders. He explained that the state government had given the traders several notices to pay up. “They had refused to comply, until the task force embarked on the enforcement drive,” Martin said.

Source: Punch

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