Armed thugs allegedly working on the order of the chairman of Ugwunagbo Local Government Area of Abia State on Friday, swooped on newspaper vendors at the popular Alaoji Flyover junction along the Aba –Port Harcourt highway, brandishing dangerous weapons and injuring some vendors.
Armed with sticks and matchete, the hoodlums confiscated all the Friday 27th August editions of local and national dailies and magazines meant for sale by vendors at the junction.
One of the vendors whose newspapers were confiscated, Mrs Ngozi Samuel, said officials of the Ugwunagbo LGA have been harassing them demanding N15, 000 as permission levy before they will be allowed to display newspapers at the junction.
She explained that the thugs took her newspapers and directed her to come to the LGA headquarters to pay the N15, 000 levy.
She said; “I have been in the newspaper distribution business for many years and I have never seen where vendors are chased and harassed. They have been disturbing us asking us to pay N15, 000 for permission to sell at the junction. We didn’t obstruct any movement of vehicles or people. The small issue we had initially was with soldiers at the junction who asked us to shift from their post for security reasons”.
“The soldiers even helped to point the distance where we could stay which we did. We display our newspapers from morning till evening when we normally go home. We don’t litter there neither do we create any disturbance. We were just surprised that soon after we went where the soldiers asked us to go, the LGA Chairman came again with her thugs and asked us to go out. We reported back to the soldiers and they asked us to stay at the former place we were staying at least temporarily”.
“This morning, they came and seized all our newspapers and asked us to call all the publishers and journalists to come to their office and explain why we should be selling newspapers there. The shocking thing is that the initial place where they asked us to vacate, a lot of traders are there even those who do lotto business are there. They allowed them to stay so long as you can pay what they asked for. Looking at newspapers, how can we get such huge amount of money to pay them?
Another vendor said he was almost beaten up by the thugs for resisting the confiscation of his newspapers but for the location of the military unit in the area.
When contacted on the situation, the Chairman of Ugwunagbo LGA Mrs Joy Nnata, asked media organizations to rent spaces for vendors selling their newspapers, warning that she will never allow newspapers to be displayed around the Flyover junction.
She boasted that Governor Okezie Ikpeazu directed her to chase away the vendors and will deal with any vendor or any newspaper that violates her orders.
“Those people you give newspapers to sell are staying where we don’t want them to stay. Different kinds of people read newspapers in the morning and you know we have security challenges everywhere. So, those vendors need to go and get where they’ll stay where we’ll not chase them. We don’t want anybody to sell the newspaper on the road.”
When asked if there are areas provided for the vendors since newspapers are not usually sold in stores and closed places, the chairman retorted; “Am I the one that will provide a space for them? It is the duty of vendors and the duty of those who produce the newspapers they’re selling to get a space where they can stay that the government will not send them away. Government has said that they don’t want people there and I won’t tolerate it. The Governor authorized us to clear people from there so that those bad boys have left there. I wont allow anyone to violate my orders.
“Somebody selling newspapers cannot claim to be doing something essential. Let you people go and locate another place to sell not on that road. I’m not the sales representative of any newspaper company and it is not my duty to provide space for newspapers. I’m not doing newspaper business. Journalists should come and find space where their newspapers will be sold.”
Nnata declined to speak on the allegation of the payment of N15,000 being charged by her staff and when she will release the confiscated newspapers.
As at the time of filing this report the newspapers were yet to be released to the affected vendors.
Sources stated that the newspapers were taken to the chairman’s office and won’t be released until the vendors pay the N15,000 levy.
Meanwhile, the Chairman has banned the sale of newspapers at the road junction.
