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Afor Nnobi was plunged into a crisis on Thursday morning as a result of the disappearance of NMATA’s official documents on Wednesday night.
The Eastern Updates received information that certain NMATA officers reportedly intruded into the association’s office on Wednesday night and absconded with documents suspected to be financial and other record books containing crucial information about the association’s activities.
The situation reportedly escalated when a group of NMATA officers arrived at the office on early Thursday morning to continue the removal of documents and other belongings, only to encounter angry traders guarding the office entrance.
As reported, the situation reportedly took a turn for the worse when one of the NMATA officers retrieved his mobile phone and began recording video footage of the irate traders, an action that escalated the dispute and ultimately led to a physical altercation at the location that morning.
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Additional information indicates that certain early morning traders, upon witnessing Chief Maduabuchukwu Ezeoke, the Chairman of NMATA, fleeing from the scene of the commotion, mistakenly interpreted the situation as a hoodlum attack. Consequently, they panicked and started running in a state of frenzy, resulting in injuries as some of them stumbled and fell over one another while fleeing.
As per informed sources, the situation in Afor Nnobi Market reached a boiling point when Chief Maduabuchukwu Ezeoke, the Chairman of NMATA, allegedly declined an invitation from the Nnobi Welfare Organization (NWO), which serves as the market’s proprietor and guardian.
This invitation, tendered on Wednesday afternoon, was connected to a range of allegations against his leadership, encompassing embezzlement of funds, unauthorised trader levies, reluctance to convene association meetings, and a lack of transparency in reporting on his tenure’s activities, among other grievances.
Commenting on the situation, Ogborogu Mathew Nwaneli, the former Chief Market Task Force Chairman of NMATA, condemned the NMATA Chairman’s actions as being in violation of the law.
Nwaneli disclosed that the matter had already been lodged with the police and emphasised that the traders are demanding the Chairman’s removal and the installation of a caretaker committee to manage the market.
All attempts to reach NMATA Chairman Maduabuchukwu Ezeoke for comment were unsuccessful, as his shop was sealed, his phone turned off, and the NMATA office was locked.
