by Chi Ibe

In reaction to a media report that the Onitsha market was a place where criminals buy their weapons, the traders on Monday February 4 at a press conference claimed the reports were false and that they had no hand in any shady business.

The leader of the Onitsha Main Market Amalgamated Traders’ Union, Chief Innocent Agudiegwu, denied that they had been selling arms and ammunition to criminals.

 “We received the news of the false allegation that this market is the centre of illicit gun-running business as unfortunate, and I wish to state categorically, that Onitsha does not sell arms and ammunition to criminals as alleged in the report.

“This market deals in things like cloth, bags, baby items and creams. It has never been involved in any gun-running business.”

According to reports, Agudiegwu said the market was reputed to be the hob of legal business, maintaining that in the last 100 years, it had no record of illegal business.

 “This market has been in existence for more than 100 years now and has sustained the old Eastern Region and to tarnish its image by false publication of alleged gun running was aimed at destroying this market. It is our collective property and we shall intensify efforts to ensure that the bad eggs do not operate in the market.”

He attributed the proliferation of arms in the state to the inability of security agencies to protect the nation’s borders.

He said, “The increasing proliferation of arms and ammunition is not caused by the market in Onitsha as alleged by the report, but by the inability of the security agencies to guide the borders.”