BREAKING: ‘Our Lives Are At Risk’ — Onitsha Traders Accuse Police Of Collusion, Cry To IGP For Justice
Traders from Onitsha, under the aegis of the Association of Modebe Tenants, have made a passionate appeal to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to intervene in an ongoing crisis involving the alleged destruction of their properties, constant threats to their lives, and alleged police collusion.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, the traders speaking through their Trustees Chairman, Chief Okey Muojekwu, alleged that a former chairman of their association, Obiora Okoro, colluded with senior police officers at the local Area Command to unleash terror on them.
According to the group, the attackers operated under the watchful eyes of policemen who failed to intervene.
The traders stated that their properties and business premises were demolished by armed thugs.
They alleged that the hoodlums shot sporadically to intimidate the traders and bystanders and attacked victims with machetes, guns, and other dangerous weapons.Inflicted serious injuries on several members of the association.
During the Press Conference, they displayed pictorial evidence of the injuries on them which they alleged were injuries sustained from gunshots, machettes, and other dangerous weapons.
The association lamented that the attacks have resulted in the loss of multimillion-naira worth of properties and incomes, leaving many traders displaced from their livelihoods.
Furthermore, they raised alarms that the culprits have continued to threaten their lives following the incident.
The traders expressed deep frustration that previous petitions sent to the IGP’s office have yielded no results.
They are now sending an urgent Save Our Soul (SOS) message to the IGP, demanding immediate action to;
1. Call to order the Area Commander and the state’s Commissioner of Police (CP) for their alleged support and protection of the hoodlums.
2. Restore their land, which they maintain was officially and legally leased to them for a duration of 50 years.
3. Arrest and prosecute the former chairman and all accomplice culprits for the crimes allegedly committed.
The traders stated that only an independent intervention from the highest levels of police leadership can guarantee their safety and restore their lawfully leased properties.
The Civil Society Intervention Coalition, an Abuja-based human rights advocacy group, facilitated the press briefing for the traders to air their challenges openly.
