By Tobias Ekirika
The Caretaker Committee Chairman Mr Ebere Obi (Tallest) Okwey/Kano Street Market, Main market Onitsha has distanced himself and his executives from the alleged extortion & collection of money from the Wheel barow pushers operating within the area.
The newly inaugurated caretaker committee chairman made the clarification while briefing newsmen in his office, according to him the committee has never collected any kobo from any wheelbarrow pusher nor demanded any money from them.
His words "I and my executives has never collected any kobo from any wheel barow pusher for any reason, what happened was that when some of them started going away with people's goods to unknown destination instead of delivering such goods to the rightful owner, we reported the criminal act to main market police division where we agreed with police to make elbrown and create a register for them for easy identification if such acts occurred"
" Continued we are yet to implement the arrangements before the intervention of their state leadership who promised us that they would fish out those criminals within their circle."
Earlier the wheel barow pushers operating within Okwey and Kano Streets market in Onitsha main market had accused the leadership of the market in radio progame that they were been extorting a huge amount of money from them, they also alleged that the leadership of the market are collaborating with Nigeria police to extort#12,000 per one person in the name of giving them elbrown.
When contacted, the Anambra state wheel barow Owners and pushers executives led by Mr Ikechukwu Ezeorachalu in their office in Onitsha admitted that the union has taken over in the case of Okwey and Kano Streets market but lamented that some market leaders are planning to use the same method to intimate and extort money from their members despite that the Executive governor of Anambra state Prof Chukwuma Charles Soludo excluded wheel barrow operators from any form of tax in the state.
Mr Ezeorachalu who was not comfortable with the arrangements of some market leaders, accused some of making things difficult for themselves and the wheel barrow operators.
According to him, they know how to identify criminal elements among the wheel barrow pushers but insisted that some of the market leaders don't give them the chance to do that.
His words* We know how to identify criminals and get them arrested. Each wheel barrow has a number and intiel, each wheel barrow pusher also has an identity card duelly signed by our office, *
*Continued "so if you want to engage any wheel barrow operator, first copy the number in that wheel barrow, ask for his ID card and capture the ID, then if he disappears with your goods just come to our office, we will find him and recover your goods for you."
The Onitsha Urban coordinator further accused some market leaders of not allowing their taskforce team inside their market for proper checking on those who claim to be their member.
Mr Ezeorachalu also alleged that some criminal minded traders does what he called "Carry And Discharge" that is a situation where a trader will buy a wheel barrow and will not register it for proper identification and would give it to his alliance who will go out and impose as wheel barrow pusher, when you engage him for his service and allow such person to carry your goods, he will disappear with your goods and return it back to sender who is the owner of the wheel barrow and the same traders will accuse wheel barrow pushers of disappearing with people's goods.
The association pleaded with the state government to direct the market leaders in the state to allow them inside their market to enable them fish out those criminals parading themselves as wheel barrow pushers.