Shops and other business activities belonging to Igbo traders in Cross River State were closed down on Monday, June 22.

At Watt, Etim Edim and Marian Markets, Calabar, shops were under lock and key when our correspondent visited.

Grassroot Reporters gathered that the closure was necessitated by the spate of kidnapping of Igbo traders in the state.

The latest being the CEO of Odinka Electrical and Electronics, Chief Odinka Odinka who was kidnapped alongside a former board member of the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Calabar, FNPH, Princess Filia Henshaw.

Chief Odinka, who is said to be in his 70s and an asthmatic patient, was kidnapped from his shop at Target Street Calabar South LGA.

The traders were directed by the leadership of Igbo union to close their shops and business activities in all the major markets in Cross River State.

A trader, John Okechukwu who spoke to our correspondent said Igbo traders live in fear over what he called "rampant kidnapping of Igbo traders in the state".

He said: "The kidnapping of Igbos in the state is becoming alarming. We are living in fear. Igbo traders are endangered species. Chief Odinka was kidnapped since February and his abductors have refused to release him while others have been released.

He added that they were directed to close down shops for today and tomorrow to protest and demand for the release of all Igbo traders.

Irked by the directive, the Cross River State government told the traders to disregard the directive, vowing to "prosecute any person or group of persons under any guise seen obstructing any Igbo trader from opening his/her shop for business in the state on Monday, June 22, 2020 and Tuesday, June 23, 2020".

In a statement on Sunday night signed by Dr. Alfred Mboto, Permanent Secretary, Security Services, the government described the directive as unacceptable.

The statement reads:

"The attention of the Cross River State Government has been drawn to a plan by some members of Igbo traders union in the Calabar metropolis to force their members to close their shops for two days with effect from Monday, June 22, 2020.

"Government is also aware of the threat of N50, 000 surcharge by the union on any Igbo trader who opens his or her shop for business within the two days.

"Their plan is unacceptable to government and government will do everything within her power and the law to arrest and prosecute any person or group of persons under any guise seen obstructing any Igbo trader from opening his/her shop for business in the state on Monday, June 22, 2020 and Tuesday, June 23, 2020.

"All Igbo traders in Calabar and the entire Cross River state are therefore, advised to disregard the call and threat of the Igbo traders union and go ahead to open their shopes for their legitimate businesses.

"The union is rather enjoined to encourage the state government on the on- going war against kidnappers, cultists, drug trades, arm robbers and other illegal operations in the state instead of scuttling the effort of government".

Source: https://www.grassrootreportersng.com/2020/06/igbo-traders-dares-criver-government.html

Lalasticlala

this is a bit funny,
hunger dey ! so they see those Igbo businessmen as cashcows for their kidnapping business.
ayade should do something.
Igbos are peaceful people,

okay

I hope that will bring back the person

Photos

Brandstudio01:
I hope that will bring back the person

It will not, but might bring the necessary attention of those in high places to the situation. That's the message they're trying to pass across.

why do people feel threatened by ordinary igbo traders. they're just business minded people who don't want no trouble but the money

That is bad Omen from the kidnapers

Igbo Fulani alliance, should be now or never, but some short sighted people won't understand.

Secondly why dont u act like the Hausa's, keep or ur family in Igbo land while u invest in another mans land, all u do rent a Batcher and stay once u see problems move simple.

Thirdly no dae show itself, guys with all the millions have to still wear palm slippers and walk on the road

It is no surprise.
Igbo men have been attracting envy everywhere they set their foot.

Kidnaping here and there. LORD have mercy

Zero security in Naija

United we stand kind of...may God restore peace

Good move from the Igbos..



But In an unrelated news, is this the same Cross River that is considered the cleanest state in Nigeria?! People from this state will still join in calling Lagos a garbage slum, ignoring the fact that the whole of Naija Na slum.

Fake News. Afonja propaganda. Ewedu journalism

This can never happen in Biafra Land.

The level of insecurity in this country. May God help us

And they will say IGBOS are not united

Nigeria should just allow Igbos go.

But can they? There will be economic collapse. Commerce and retail sector will collapse

Na waa..... that's not a sensible way for a government to respond to such action.... their action started for a course which should be properly addressed not neglected....
I wonder why people get jealous of others doing well when they have deliberately rejected and thrown away better opportunities that would have changed their lives and at the end of the day they see a set of persons as their threats.

hmmm...insecurity everywhere

meanwhile

Get high definition Movies into your hard drive if you stay in Port Harcourt, check signature

Dey suppose add peaceful protest to it

Same government that is playing politics with people's lives in this covid era. They are there talking about protection. I laugh in Swahili...

Honestly. This is quite sad, I totally understand why the Igbo Union will direct its traders to do such and I hope that they get the needed justice.

The Government in that state needs something to knack some sense into them.

It has now come to tribes having to identify with victims or voices aren't heard. Don't blame them. Villages are being wiped out and so tribes have to speak out as a group or else...

Nigeria is currently on the receiving end of everything evil.......

Nothing lasts forever........

So now we have to deal with these Akpans

Built2last:
And they will say IGBOS are not united

Nigeria should just allow Igbos go.

But can they? There will be economic collapse. Commerce and retail sector will collapse

If they leave Nigeria, nothing will happen.
Only someone who hasn't travelled around Nigeria will think a particular region will suffer. All regions can survive independently.

.

They are busy breeding cultists instead of piping low to learn trade from Igbos or go to Lagos for hustle, when cultism becomes a norm, no future for that youths. Shame

Security challenge in Nigeria is a very big one.