CITY NEWS Shop owners shut Utako Market over demolition fears

Utako Market has been temporarily shut down due to a mild disagreement between shop owners and the market management over fears of demolition.

Heavy security presence - with three vans of police officers, armoured personnel van and officials of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps - was seen at the market yesterday morning.

Some shop owners took to the street to protest what they described as a planned demolition of the market by the area council management and private developer.

An official of the Shop Owners Association, Felix Nwese, said three containers were kept at the market at nights between Sunday and Monday allegedly by officials of AMAC and MM Abbas, a technical partner to the area council.

He said the containers, which contents remained unknown, constitute security threat to the shop owners.

“Some people who said they were from MM Abbas came and dropped some containers. They said they were sent to come and construct in an existing market. That is what made us to shut down the market.

“We did not allow them to do anything and that is why we are protesting. They are only digging outside the market,” he said.

Another shop owner, Uwabueze Ugwuama, said AMAC officials came to the market on Tuesday with their equipment for demolition without prior notice.

He said the leaders petitioned the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, but were surprised to be surrounded by security operatives yesterday.

Reacting, the project coordinator of Utako Ultramodern Market and the divisional head of AMAC Works Department, Gaza Andrew, said the demonstration by the shop owners has been put under control.

He said all the shop owners were aware that the market would be remodelled to allow its expansion and to curb security threats.

“All the stakeholders have been engaged and we are still meeting.

“We have approval from development control for the remodelling and we have told them everybody will be carried along,” he said.