The Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, has ordered traders at the Ekeukwu Owerri Main Market and street traders in the state capital to relocate to an alternative market located at Relief or the new Egbeada Markets.
The governor warned that the traders of the main markets who refused to relocate would face sanctions.
The governor noted that the deadline issued by his government for the traders to vacate the markets had elapse, adding that he would soon begin the enforcement of the order.
Okorocha’s order was contained in a statement issued by his Chief Press secretary, Sam Onwuemeodo, shortly after he (Okorocha) returned from Germany, where he went with President Muhammadu Buhari on a working visit.
The state government and the traders had been enmeshed in a face-off over the order, which had generated litigations.
The governor warned that the goods seized in the markets by his administration would be given to prisons and orphanages.
He said his administration had exercised restraint in enforcing the order because of the love he had for the traders, stressing that he would be compelled to act if the traders did not comply.
