Shoesday - Takes it to the streets

Reported in a Nigerian newspaper:

26 July, 2006

Members of Shoe Manufacturers Association of Anambra State (SMAAS) have staged a peaceful demonstration to protest the killing of one of its members, Mr Victor Okunoja.

Okunoja was hit by a bullet allegedly fired by a soldier believed to be a member of the joint military and police team deployed to the state to flush out miscreants.

But in a swift reaction, the leader of the team who is also the Commander of the 14 Field Engineers Regiment, Lt. Col. John Enenche, at the weekend denied that his men had any thing to do with the shooting.

Enenche told Daily Independent that reports reaching the regiment stated that three soldiers were seen running away from the scene of the shooting, arguing that soldiers on duty in Onitsha are not deployed in twos and threes but go out as a team in their patrol vehicles.

Attributing the shooting to members of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), he disclosed that within last week, three persons in army uniforms were arrested and are still in detention.

He said that there appears to be a smear campaign to detract the soldiers from the duties by people with sympathy for the MASSOB, but stressed that his men were determined to carry out their job to its logical conclusion.

The SMAAS members chanting anti government slogans carried placards with inscriptions like "MASSOB and NARTO are not on the street and motor parks," "Curfew unnecessary" "Send the soldiers back to the barracks, they are causing more harm than good,"and "Enough of killing of Innocent citizens by soldiers" among others.

But President of the association, Dan Chikwendu Okorie, and his executive pleaded with the aggrieved traders to calm down as they threatened and moved to block the Onitsha-Owerri by Obodo Ukwu road to buttress their anger.

Narrating the incident, Okorie said, "about 2.30pm on Wednesday, the Agbor, Delta State-born Okunoja went inside the relief market near SMAAS to buy some materials. But on his return, he was shot by one of three soldiers who were in hot pursuit of a young man for a reason we do not know."

When contacted, the DPO of the Okopko police station, Mr. Donatus Obiejesi, confirmed the incident and said he has reported the matter to the Onitsha area commander, and directed Daily Independent there for more clarifications.

Said he: "The soldiers were shooting indiscriminately in the market and their bullet brought down Okunoja who was later rushed to Pieta Hospital by Evangelist Dan Obi and another executive member of the (market) association. He was in hospital until this morning when he died about 3.00am."

He said he reported the matter to the Okpoko Police station immediately after the incident, and the DPO in charge of the station contacted the Onitsha Area Commander and the Acting Police Commissioner. He said even the member representing the area in the state House of Assembly, Njideka Ezeigwe, was also informed.

"We are protesting to the state government to call the soldiers and the police to order to stop unleashing terror on people. They are abusing the power given to them. We are not MASSOB members neither are we NARTO. We are only shoe manufacturers," said Okorie.