Tension Rocks Ozomagana Market as Intersociety Petitions IGP, Soludo Over Alleged Police Harassment

By Our Correspondent

Fresh tension has engulfed the Ozomagana Building Materials Market, Onitsha, as the International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety) accused the police of allegedly harassing, arresting and detaining leaders of the market over what it described as a purely civil dispute.

The rights organisation has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Olatunji Disu, and the Anambra State Government, urging them to halt what it called the repeated harassment, arbitrary arrests and intimidation of officials of the Ozomagana Building Materials Market Association.

Intersociety expressed concern that the lingering dispute between Modebe Enterprises Limited and the market association over the implementation of a lease agreement had been turned into a criminal matter, warning that the continued involvement of the police was worsening the crisis instead of resolving it.

“We are deeply disturbed by the dangerous criminalisation of a purely civil matter,” the organisation said, alleging that the dispute had triggered a series of arbitrary arrests, unlawful detentions and acts of intimidation against market leaders.

According to the group, the disagreement centres on the implementation of a lease agreement covering several properties on Modebe Avenue, Onitsha, insisting that such disagreements should be resolved through the civil courts rather than by law enforcement agencies.

It alleged that officers attached to the Inspector-General of Police’s Special Investigation Unit in Abuja had repeatedly arrested and detained market leaders under the pretext of investigating alleged threats to life.

Describing the development as alarming, Intersociety claimed the matter had become “a conduit pipe for intimidation and extortion” by some officers of the Special Investigation Unit and their subordinates.

The organisation alleged that since November 15, 2025, no fewer than six separate arrests had been carried out against leaders of the market, naming former Chairman of the market, Obiora Okoro, former Assistant Secretary, Ikechukwu Aneke, and former Treasurer, Chigozie Ejiofor, among those allegedly arrested and detained.

It further claimed that some of those arrested were subjected to unlawful detention and possible custodial extortion.

The rights group also alleged that court proceedings arising from the dispute, including pronouncements made by a Nnewi High Court in April 2026, had allegedly been ignored.

Warning that the continued use of security agencies in the dispute could erode public confidence in the justice system, Intersociety said the handling of the matter had generated denials and counter-denials over the lease agreement while escalating tension within the commercial community.

The organisation urged the Inspector-General of Police to review the conduct of officers involved and prevent further arrests over what it described as a commercial disagreement.

It maintained that the dispute should be allowed to proceed through the courts, stressing that using allegations of threats to life as grounds for repeated arrests in a civil matter only deepens public distrust and fuels the crisis.

Intersociety also appealed to the Anambra State Government and other relevant authorities to ensure that all parties respect ongoing judicial proceedings and embrace lawful mechanisms for resolving the conflict.

Reiterating its position, the organisation insisted that “justice must not only be done but must be seen to be done,” warning that continued intimidation of market leaders could further heighten tension in the Onitsha business community.

It called for an end to what it described as the misuse of security agencies in private commercial disputes, insisting that the rule of law must prevail.