LAGOS FEBRUARY 15TH (URHOBOTODAY)-The Abraka main market in Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State was on Monday shut as traders and old women in the community embarked on a seven-day protest.

The PUNCH gathered that the embattled traders and elderly women were protesting against alleged moves by the local government authorities to demolish the market and hand it over to private individuals to run.

All shops in the main market were locked throughout Monday as the protesters insisted on sustaining the tempo for the earmarked seven days.

Speaking with journalists, one of the protesting traders who identified herself as Ese, disclosed that two years ago, the council authority announced intention to rebuild the market, an announcement which she said took the traders unawares.

Ese said, “Three days later, they brought tractors and brought everything down.

Unfortunately, they did not build the market. The market women later contributed money and built the market themselves.

“Again, they have come again that they want to turn the market to upstairs. We refused and said we like the market like this. Why we refused is because we paid government N2,000 while council officials in the market collected N20,000 from those selling inside Now, we did not allow them build the market because of what happened before. This is why they are out to destroy the market and that is why we shut the market down for the mean time”.

The Chairman of Ethiope East Local Government Area,Victor Ofobrukueta, could not be reached for comments on the market issue as of the time of filing this report.

Punch