THE ancient city of Afikpo in Ebonyi south senatorial district of Ebonyi state has been thrown into pandemonium for the past three weeks following the move by the state government to demolish Eke-Ukwu market and built another mosque in centre of the town.

The state government led by Engr David Nweze Umahi has on August, 2018 made known to the marketers, land owners and the host community of Eke-Ukwu in Afikpo that the state government will move out the market to Timber near Amasiri in Afikpo south as to give the space for the construction of mosque in the area.

This notice actually brought a lot of fracas and brouhaha in the entire Afikpo north and south, as the people of the area said NO to the proposal by the state government.

Some of the marketers who spoke with Ogeh Friday Igiri, the media correspondent in Ebonyi state when visited the area, lamented that the government merely wants to make life unbearable to them, because removing the market from its original location will pave way for suffering and hardship of the people more than before.

The Ibi Oziza autonomous community leader, HRH Edward Icharicha while speaking with the media in his home at Ozizi, noted that the entire Afikpo people are not in the support to demolishing the market for any reason not to talk of building another mosque there. According to him he said "It is true we're not against anybody either Muslims or Christians but we are not in the support for the removal of Eke-Ukwu market from where it is now for any reason".

Some of the youths from the area who spoke with the media was of the opinion that the state government are joking, because it cannot happen.

Recall that Afikpo in Ebonyi state has one of the biggest mosques in the entire Nigeria, some Afikpo citizens has equally being converted to Islamic religion for the past ten years due to the palatable room given to Muslims to operate in the area.

Some members of Afikpo both home and abroad has also called on lovers of freedom, men and women of good conscience to run to their aid before things gets out of hand.

Some was of the opinion that they are no longer comfortable dwelling with the Hausa Fulani herdsmen due to the rate in which they terrorise the country. Though no attack of the Fulani herdsmen terrorism has been recorded in the area but they maintained that they are no more comfortable with them before it turns to something else, which may not be good to hear.






Written by:
Ogeh Friday Igiri
For: Ebonyi State Media.


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