Leonerd Umeh, the detained Chairman of Emodi Shoe Dealers Association (ESDA), in Ochanja Market, Onitsha, Anambra State, and three other executive members have regained freedom.
Umeh along with Chizoba Nwokedi (Vice-Chairman), Amaechi Mokwe (Treasurer), and Onyeka Chukwuweike (Assistant Secretary) were detained on April 29 by the Zone 13 Police Command in Ukpo, Dunukofia Local Government Area of the state.
Obinna Nnobia, secretary-general of the association, said on Tuesday that, “they were detained over frivolous allegations of burglary leveled against them by former chairman of the market, Chief Friday Nwabueze Umeh”.
“They were detained when they went to the police command based on police invitation,” he said.
He said that traders had protested for the release of those detained, with some of them carrying placards with the inscription, “Nwabueze stay away from our ESDA union.
“Commissioner of Commerce should come to our aid, pls Governor Soludo should come to our aid, sacked chairman has not rendered account for nine years”, among others.
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Nnobia said also that, “our former chairman, Chief Friday Nwabueze Umeh, popularly called “Ofiafuluego”, refused to handover after nine years of his leadership and also took over our 450 plots of land as personal property.
“He is still holding the Certificate of Occupancy, (C of O) of these plots of land in Oba and shops in the market and has severally dragged the executive members, especially the incumbent chairman, Leonerd Umeh, to the police.
“He has also used names of four of our dead members as Board of Trustees, (BOT) of the market and made himself as the chairman of the Board of Trustees,” he said.
In his contribution, one of the patrons of the market, Chief Obedi Offor, said that, “this man called Friday Nwabueze Umeh, is the Boko Haram and terrorist we have in our market”.
“He refused us to have rest in this market for over nine years now. He is behind the arrest of our chairman and three others.
“He has committed all manners of offence in the market and he is holding our over 450 plots of land we purchased at Oba and refused to hand over since he left office.
“We urge Governor Chukwuma Soludo, to come to our rescue by prevailing on Chief Friday Nwabueze Umeh, to hand over our plots of land at Oba, to us.
“He should also render account of his stewardship for nine years and hand over notes to the present executive of the market led by Chief Leonerd Umeh”.
When contacted, the accused former chairman, Chief Friday Nwabueze Umeh, described the allegations as false and unfounded adding that, “I have no business with the detention of the ESDA executives”.
“It is those the detained executives broke and stole from their shops that detain them. They went and broke 17 shops and l have no business with that.
Also on the 450 plots they claimed he refused to give to their owners he said that, “I am not holding their plots of land, the owners of the plots of land at Oba won them in the court, some of the owners are members of ESDA,” he said.
On the allegation of using dead members as BOT members of the market, he stated that, “they have no evidence to prove that”.
