By Our Correspondent
The President-General of Ogbaru Main Market in Anambra State, Chief Ndubuisi Ochiogu, has called on Governor Chukwuma Soludo to direct security agencies to arrest those allegedly plotting to foment trouble in the market.
Ochiogu, in a letter addressed to the governor through his lawyer, I.O. Onoiribholo, urged the state government to disregard an earlier petition by some traders titled: “Ogbaru Main Market in Turmoil: Call for Governor Soludo’s Urgent Intervention as Traders Cry Out Over Illegal Shop Seizures, Threats, and Injustice.”
According to the market leader, individuals named in the petition—including Ifeanyi Eziaghala, Ernest Chibuike, and others—had circulated the document via social media in July 2025 through one lawyer.
He said the publication was designed to incite fear in the market and across Anambra State.
Ochiogu alleged that the petitioners had also threatened to mobilize street urchins to protest, destabilize, and loot the market, even though traders were largely satisfied with his leadership.
He further warned those linking his name to illegal shop seizures and acts of intimidation to desist immediately or face legal consequences.
The letter, made available to journalists in Onitsha, was copied to the Anambra State Commissioner of Police, the Divisional Police Officer of Okpoko Police Station, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Special Adviser to the Governor on Markets and Trade, the Chief of Staff to the Governor, among others.
The letter read in part:“Your Excellency, to set the records straight, in 2023, the petitioners, who are also plaintiffs in Suit No. AT/87/23, wrote to the Commissioner of Police, Anambra State, alleging unlawful seizure of their shops by our client. The police investigated and found the claims to be false. Despite this, they went ahead to institute legal action, joining the state government in the process.
Our client has counter-sued the plaintiffs for defamation and for giving false information to the police. The case is still pending. On June 26, 2025, when the matter came up in court, one Hon. Christian Ezenwoke appeared and sought the court’s leave to intervene and settle the matter, which the court granted.”
Continuing, Onoiribholo noted that the second plaintiff in the case, Ifeanyi Eziaghala, had submitted further petitions to the Anambra State House of Assembly, even while the matter remains before the court.
“He petitioned Your Excellency while simultaneously bringing Hon. Ezenwoke to court to settle the matter. This duplicity shows clear intent to cause chaos in Ogbaru Main Market using street urchins to foment disorder,” he wrote.
The lawyer emphasized that the Office of the Attorney General of Anambra State and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry are already defendants in the pending suit.
“It amounts to self-betrayal for the same individuals to petition the Governor—whom they’ve already taken to court—while also threatening mass protest, all under the guise of being law-abiding.”
Onoiribholo stressed that the publication’s subject matter is sub judice and urged the petitioners to await the outcome of the court proceedings.
He warned that if any breach of peace occurs in Ogbaru Main Market, Ifeanyi Eziaghala and his associates should be held accountable.
He called on law enforcement agencies to place Eziaghala and his associates under surveillance and declare them persons of interest in order to prevent any breakdown of law and order in the market or the state.
