By Stella Odueme-Omona - Abuja
The Protesters
Desired as development is to the progress of a place, it isn’t without some pains and sacrifices. Some people have to pay the price for others to enjoy.
This isn’t entirely different for traders at Karu market whose means of livelihood are being threatened by plans to demolish the market where they daily go to make a living.
To ensure they are heard and factored into whatever plans the Federal Capital Territory authority (FCT) has for the area, traders, under the aegis of Karu Market Shop Owners Association, last week protested against the planned demolition of their shops at Karu Market, karu, by the Abuja Municipal Area Council.
The traders, who trooped out in their hundreds at about 9:30am with all the shops closed down, called on Federal Government’s intervention against what they called “injustice.”
With different placards bearing inscriptions like: “Is Micah Jiba Above the Law,” “AMAC Should Respect Court Order,” “Jibah You Are Ridiculing the Judiciary,” “AMAC Should Have Regard for the Rule of LAw,” “Self Help Is Primitive,” etc, the traders chanted “All We Are Say, Give US Our Shops,” song to press home their demand.
The market, located along Karu-Karshi Road, witnessed large turnout of women, men and children as some resulted to crying for assistance from well meaning Nigerians in order to stop the demolition of over 2000 shops, which according to them, were validly owned.
The traders, who maintained that the AMAC Chairman, Hon Micah Jiba, is aware of the demolition threat, also called on the FCT Minister to come to their rescue.
Chairman of the market, Mallam Yunusa Danjimoh, said it is high time government officials stopped jungle justice against citizens.
Speaking with journalists, Danjimoh said it was disheartening that while the case is presently in court, AMAC planned to act contrary to court’s order.
“We are out today to protest against AMAC’s threat to demolish our shops. They gave us 72 hours beginning from 4th November and any moment from now, they may come, even when the case is still in court. All the shops were validly allocated to us by AMAC some years ago, they gave us open spaces with building plan, we built the shops by ourselves based on their approved plan and we pay our revenue as at when due. Now they want to chase us out.
“They gave no reason for the decision, no plan to relocate us but they only want to demolish the market in order to sell it to their families and friends. We have gone to court and court decided to give accelerated hearing on 15 and 19 of this month only for AMAC officials to come with a demolition notice on November 4, giving us 72 hours to leave or face demolition,” he said.
Also the Treasurer of the market association, Mrs Aisha J. Suleiman, who she has invested over N3 million in her shop, cried out that if the market is demolished, her family and other dependants would suffer.
“If the market is demolished, how would I cope? I have aged parents; I have children and other younger ones that I cater for. Besides, I have other people that I train as my own community service, so how would I face the challenge. Let us wait for court’s judgment; let them allow us for a fair hearing. That is the only thing we want. If we are wrong, we will accept it in good faith. The court is our last hope as citizens of Nigeria, it is our last resort. And we also call on President Goodluck Jonathan, National Assembly and the FCT Minister to intervene in this matter,” she said.
For Monday Pankshin, Secretary Beans Sellers and Grains Association in the market, it was sad that such ill-treatment is about to be meted out to them, saying the planned demolition is unacceptable,
His words: “I am totally confused now and I have started emaciating since I got the news of the planned demolition. I don’t even know what to do now because if these people cannot obey court’s order, then it means we are finished! If you ask them they will say they are not aware of the matter, then who is threatening us? The fact is if you want to be a law-abiding citizen of Nigeria, you become foolish but if you will take gun and fight, they will call you for amnesty.”
On his part, the Chairman, Karu Butchers Association in the market, Jibreel Muhammad, who said the notice amounts to violation of their right and is completely illegal, said if the authority refused to listen to their plea, then common man has no hope in the country anymore.
“They have always said that marketers are animals or goats, no, we are not! We know our rights and nobody can trample on those rights,” he responded.
It would be recalled that between January 26 and 27 2012, part of the market was demolished containing at least 255 shops by AMAC and the damages, according to the traders, amounted to N645 million.
Though the court had given an injunction against demolition of the remaining shops, injunction against re-allocation of the spaces of the demolished shops and injunction against continuing development of structures on the spaces of the demolished shops, a flier made available to newsmen shows that AMAC in partnership with the developer has continued the sale of the demolished site contrary to the court’s order.