Alhaji Market Razed Down By Alleged ‘Real Owners’
Traders wait in anxiety as alleged real owners chop down Alhaji Market with bulldozers
The alleged ‘real owner’ along with a group of landguards who had on Friday the 11th June stormed the Alhaji Market at Three Junction, Amasaman with bulldozing trucks were nowhere to be seen to complete their unapproved demolition of the stalls as threatened as the case is still pending in court.
Traders at Alhaji Market were going about their normal economic activativites when everyone and everything was thrown into chaos.
Unknown men had stormed the market and started laying flat the stalls after forcing out their occupants with their wares. When confronted, they said the real landowner has come to claim his land back.
Speaking to one of the traders at the market who did not give a name, the land guards came unannounced and there had been no prior notice to warn traders. When asked if there could be any truth to the claims, the trader assured that the Alhaji had bought the land from the grandfather of the guards and has papers to prove his legitimacy.
Still angry at the unfortunate incident, the trader was convinced the reason for the demolition is greed and the said papers they had produced allegedly a permit from the circuit court will only take them far if the court deciding the case as of now do the right thing. The trader was one of the few whose stalls was not tampered with.
The demolition was not carried through because of interference of the Security after information reached out to them about the incident. The few remaining stalls luckily left untouched had their owners waiting with bated breaths for a conflicting but certained outcome yesterday but nothing happened. Final verdict is yet to be passed, it seems.
Unfortunately Alhaji who rented out the space to the traders was not available to respond to questions from this reporter but the rubble of what was once a home and a mosque is seen.
By: Jamila Abdul Wahab
