Onitsha Bridgehead Shooting: Aggrieved Ogbogwu Traders Demand Removal of Caretaker Chairman, Market Election

By Chukwudi Ebele

Aggrieved traders at the famous Ogbogwu Drug Market, Onitsha, have renewed their demand for the immediate dissolution of the market’s caretaker committee and the conduct of a fresh election, following the recent shooting of traders by policemen at the Onitsha Bridgehead.

The traders, under the aegis of the Virtues for Ogbogwu Market Traders Association, accused the caretaker committee chairman, Mr Ndubuisi Chukwuleta, of failing to adequately protect the interests and welfare of traders in the market.

Their demand followed last Wednesday’s incident in which some traders were reportedly shot and injured by policemen in mufti near the Bridgehead, close to Ogbogwu Market.

The incident reportedly began when armed policemen allegedly attempted to search or seize a bag suspected to contain unregistered drugs purchased from the market. The ensuing confrontation escalated after gunshots were fired, leaving several traders injured and triggering an angry reaction from other traders.

The situation was brought under control after the Anambra State Commissioner of Police, CP Nnanna Oji Ama, arrived at the scene and appealed for calm.

Speaking with journalists at White Chapel Hospital, Onitsha, where some of the injured traders were receiving treatment, the leader of the Virtues for Ogbogwu Market Traders Association, Chibueze Ifejiofor, also known as Chibueze Adamu, called on Governor Chukwuma Soludo and the state Commissioner for Trade and Commerce, Nonso Ebonwu, to remove Chukwuleta and conduct an election.

“Governor Soludo and the Commissioner for Trade and Commerce, Nonso Ebonwu, should remove Chukwuleta from office with immediate effect and conduct an election,” Ifejiofor said.

He alleged that traders had endured several challenges under the current caretaker arrangement, citing a previous closure of the market during an operation by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

“We traders at Ogbogwu Market have suffered a lot of problems with Chukwuleta. Last year, NAFDAC came and closed the market for almost two months and looted many shops, claiming that they found unregistered drugs,” he alleged.

Ifejiofor insisted that the traders were seeking an elected leadership capable of representing their interests.

“We are therefore begging for his immediate removal. Let there be an election in the market. We do not have quality leadership at Ogbogwu Market to protect us,” he said.

According to him, traders had resolved since last year to conduct an election that would produce a democratically elected executive, but the process was allegedly delayed by the state government until after the November 2025 governorship election.

He said the election had yet to take place despite the governorship poll having been concluded.

“The governorship election has come and gone successfully, and we thought the market election would have been held by January or, at the latest, February this year. Unfortunately, we are now approaching the last quarter of the year,” he said.

Ifejiofor appealed to the state government to organise the election as soon as possible, preferably in September or October.

‘I Was Not Carrying the Bag’

One of the injured traders, Obiora Nweke, who sustained a gunshot injury to his right leg, said he was not the person carrying the bag of drugs that the policemen allegedly wanted to search.

Nweke, a native of Anaku in Ayamelum Local Government Area of Anambra State, identified himself as a loader operating within and around Ogbogwu Market.

He said he was loading a vehicle when he heard an unusual commotion near the Bridgehead end of the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway.

“I left what I was doing and rushed to find out what was happening. When I got there, I saw someone beside the drainage with a bag arguing with another person,” Nweke recounted.

He said he approached the scene to find out what was happening, unaware that the persons confronting the young man were policemen in mufti.

“Suddenly, one of the policemen pulled out his gun and fired at my leg,” he alleged.

Nweke said he initially thought the gunshot had been fired into the ground but realised moments later that he had been hit when severe pain overwhelmed him and he collapsed.

He said he regained consciousness at the hospital, where he later saw CP Ama beside his bed.

According to him, the commissioner authorised the hospital to proceed with his treatment after an initial delay allegedly linked to the requirement for police clearance in gunshot cases.

Nweke said his relatives had already paid some money for his hospital card and first aid treatment before the commissioner provided additional funds and directed the hospital to continue his treatment.

Second Victim Says Pebble Hit Him During Melee

Another injured trader, Prince Friday Osisi, who sustained a forehead injury and underwent surgery, said he was struck by a pebble thrown during the confrontation between angry traders and the policemen shortly after the gunshots were fired.

Osisi, a trader at Ogbogwu Market and Public Relations Officer of the Virtues for Ogbogwu Market Traders Association, said he was the person who contacted the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, after the incident.

However, he said that by the time CP Ama, Ikenga, the Onitsha Area Commander and other senior police officers arrived at the hospital, he was already undergoing surgery.

Osisi also accused the market caretaker chairman of failing to adequately protect traders despite repeated complaints.

“Chukwuleta does not protect the interest of Ogbogwu Market traders. He even disappeared from the scene on that fateful day, telling someone to drive out his car and meet him somewhere,” he alleged.

He further alleged that the chairman had allowed security agencies, including NAFDAC, the police and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), to antagonise traders.

Osisi rejected the suggestion that Chukwuleta’s alleged relationship with Governor Soludo should be a reason for his continued tenure.

“Simply because he is from the same Isuofia town with Governor Chukwuma Soludo, who appointed him as caretaker chairman of the market for more than four years now, does not mean he should continue,” he alleged.

Osisi claimed that no fewer than seven people were shot during the incident, although the number could not be independently verified.

He called for the dissolution of the caretaker committee and the election of a new executive.

“I am therefore calling on the state government to remove Chukwuleta from office, dissolve the caretaker system in Ogbogwu Market and conduct an election that will usher in an elected leadership,” he said.

Police Commissioner Orders Investigation

During his visit to the scene and the hospital, CP Ama reportedly ordered a comprehensive and impartial investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.

The commissioner also promised to assist with the medical bills of the injured victims.

CP Ama expressed disappointment with some Area Commanders and Divisional Police Officers in the state over what he described as inadequate control of their personnel, particularly regarding compliance with police rules of engagement.

At White Chapel Hospital, a medical expert, Dr Celestine Orji, said the conditions of the two patients receiving treatment at the facility had stabilised.

He said there was no bone fracture in Nweke’s injured leg and that no pellets had to be extracted.

The hospital’s administrative officer, who identified herself as Mrs Ezechukwu, said the medical bills for the two patients had been prepared and issued, adding that they would be forwarded to CP Ama in line with his commitment to assist with the victims’ treatment.

Caretaker Chairman Declines Comment

When contacted, Chukwuleta declined to comment on the allegations.

He, however, said the incident had nothing to do with Ogbogwu Market or its bona fide members because it occurred outside the market.

The traders are now calling on the Anambra State Government to dissolve the caretaker committee and conduct an election, arguing that an elected market leadership would strengthen accountability and improve the representation of traders’ interests.

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