Traders at the popular UTC market in Abuja held a peaceful protest last Thursday following the closure of the market by officials of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB).

The Tide reports that the traders were prevented from entering the market, located in Area 10, Garki, Abuja.

Some of the traders told our source that the board sealed-off the premises because of the non-evacuation of the refuse they generated.

Some of the placards carried by the traders, who chanted slogans, read “ this evil and injustices must end” and “those behind this evil will die”.

The Chairman of UTC market, Mr. Chukwu Francis told The Tide that the AEPB shut down the market on Thursday without any verbal or written notice.

He said the service charge being paid by the traders was outrageous, compared to what their counterparts in other markets were paying.

“The problem at hand is because of service charge; we have been given a certain bill to pay that we consider scandalous.

“Some shops were asked to pay N190,000 as service charge, others N135,000, while the least is N65,000 per annum. This is more than what our counterparts in other markets pay.’’

Francis, however, said that as a result of negotiation between the market executives and the Abuja Market Management Limited, 80 per cent of traders had paid their service charge out of fear.

“It is the 20 per cent that has not paid that prompted them to shut down the market.

“AEPB locked up the market because the law establishing it empowers it to seal off any environment found to be dirty,’’ he said.

Francis said that when the traders brought a truck to evacuate the waste AEPB refused the truck entry.

“They told us that if we can bring a truck to evacuate the waste they will allow us to go back to our shops; we brought a truck but they refused to allow us to evacuate the refuse,’’

“It is an act of injustices to lock up our business premises at this time when everybody is making fast sales.’’

The Chairman of the Printers Association, Mr. Gabriel Adediji claimed that the service charge was being increased yearly, adding that AEPB should have locked up the shops of those who had refused to pay instead of shutting down the whole market.

Adediji said that the traders had been denied their source of livelihood, adding that the closure would make it difficult for his members to meet the orders that had been placed for various work.

The Deputy Director, Environmental Health and Safety (AEPB), Mr. Uche Agbanusi told the Tide  that the market was shut down because the traders had refused to pay up their service charge.

Agbanusi said the market would remain shut until the traders pay up their bills, adding “the only way we can make them pay their bill is to shut down the premises’’.

“Even if it is only few traders that have not paid, the premises will remain shut until all of them pay up.’’