Aggrieved traders had taken to the streets to protest alleged extortion and continued denial of access to their shops at the Wuye Ultra Modern Market. The market was developed by All Purpose Shelter Development Company, a firm having links with Mrs. Suswam and in which she is said to be the major financier. She was inside the multi-billion naira market under construction when the protesters arrived.
The former Benue State First Lady was held hostage for some hours in the market by the traders who accused her of conniving with the authorities of the Federal Capital Development Authority not only in extorting money from them but also denying them access to the shops they have since paid for. The Chairman of Association of Wuye Ultra Modern Market Allottees, Chief Ifeanyi Ezejim, said the traders paid various amounts of money ranging between N2,000 to N8,000 as allocation fee to the FCDA. Ezejim therefore asked the FCDA authorities to give them the statutory fee so that they can pay and move into their shops to start their businesses.
The protest, according to him, was informed by an order of an Abuja High Court, which had asked the FCDA to declare the statutory fees for the shops, but which the latter had not obeyed. He said: “Somebody somewhere who believes that he or she is above the law is now using the police to stop the traders from doing their businesses.
“This is why we are protesting.“We are not happy and we will not continue to wait to be accepting all these intimidation. “The intimidation is too much and I don’t know the type of country we are that the police who supposed to be adhering to the law of the land is going against the law."
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