Report By: Emmanuel Uzor (Onitsha)
Following the revelation of alleged
gun running business in various markets within the commercial city of Onitsha
and its environs, the leader of the Onitsha Main Market Amalgamated Traders’
Union , OMMATU, Chief Innocent Agudiegwu has denied that the market is the
centre of arms and ammunition distribution in the zone.
Addressing journalists yesterday,
Chief Agudiegwu described the allegation that the market has been involved in
the illegal gun running business as baseless, adding that the market does not
sell arms and ammunition to criminals as alleged.
“We received the news of the false
allegation that this market is the centre of illicit gun running business as
unfortunate and I wish to state it categorically clear that Onitsha does not
sell arms and ammunition to criminals as alleged in the report. This Main
market only deals with articles like cloth, bags, baby wears, men wears and other
provisions like cream and has never been involved in any illicit gun running
business” he said.
Chief Agudiegwu further disclosed
that the market had stood tall in legal business and maintained that the market
has no record of illegal business for more than 100 years and called on the
public to disregard the allegation.
He said “this market has been in
existence for more than 100 years now and has sustained the old Eastern Region
and to tarnish this market’s image by false publication of alleged gun running
was aimed at destroying this market which is our collective property and we
shall intensify investigations to root out this market off of every bad egg.
The market leader also attributed
the proliferation of arms in the state to inability of the country’s security
agencies to man the country’s boarders and called for proper synergy between
all the security agencies to tackle the proliferation of arms and ammunition.
“The increasing proliferation of
arms and ammunition is not caused by the market in Onitsha as alleged by the
reporter but the inability of the security agencies to man the boarder because
our boarders with other neigbouring countries are very porous and until that is
done, the country will continue to grapple with illegal proliferation of arms
and ammunition”.
