Newspapers and magazines of different media houses worth thousands of naira were for three days destroyed under the Flyover Bridge New Parts Market, Nkpor, Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State by men of Ogidi Police Station, following vendors’ refusal to part with money for some policemen.
The policemen attacked the vendors between Tuesday and Friday last week, in spite of a letter to the vendors from the local government exempting them from those prohibited from doing business at the spot.
The action of the policemen is also in contravention of an order by the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, incharge of Ogidi Police Station, Mr. H. Musa, to allow the vendors to do their business.
The vendors were said to have, out of pressure to sell their papers, entered into an unofficial agreement to pay the police N2,000 weekly for them to be allowed to sell their newspapers and magazines under the flyover bridge, having been prevented earlier from transacting their businesses there on the alleged instruction of a council boss.
Addressing newsmen yesterday, Chairman of Onitsha Newspapers Directors Distributors Association, ONDDA, Mr. Jude Oguzie, said vendors had been paying the police N2,000 since June and decided not to pay for last week, adding that it got the policemen angry.
He said the policemen resorted to destroying their papers for three days, noting that this prompted their reporting the matter to the local government.
Mr. Emeka Onwuzuligo, who is the Head of Legal Matters of the local government, said the directive was given in error and that he had given a counter- directive, through a letter, that vendors should be exempted from the order not to do business in that area.
When Vanguard visited Ogidi Police Station to get reaction from the DPO, Mr. Musa, he expressed anger against the policemen and promised to withdraw them from the area.
The policemen attacked the vendors between Tuesday and Friday last week, in spite of a letter to the vendors from the local government exempting them from those prohibited from doing business at the spot.
The action of the policemen is also in contravention of an order by the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, incharge of Ogidi Police Station, Mr. H. Musa, to allow the vendors to do their business.
The vendors were said to have, out of pressure to sell their papers, entered into an unofficial agreement to pay the police N2,000 weekly for them to be allowed to sell their newspapers and magazines under the flyover bridge, having been prevented earlier from transacting their businesses there on the alleged instruction of a council boss.
Addressing newsmen yesterday, Chairman of Onitsha Newspapers Directors Distributors Association, ONDDA, Mr. Jude Oguzie, said vendors had been paying the police N2,000 since June and decided not to pay for last week, adding that it got the policemen angry.
He said the policemen resorted to destroying their papers for three days, noting that this prompted their reporting the matter to the local government.
Mr. Emeka Onwuzuligo, who is the Head of Legal Matters of the local government, said the directive was given in error and that he had given a counter- directive, through a letter, that vendors should be exempted from the order not to do business in that area.
When Vanguard visited Ogidi Police Station to get reaction from the DPO, Mr. Musa, he expressed anger against the policemen and promised to withdraw them from the area.
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