Governor Ayade speaks on ordering shutdown of Igbo shops over election loss

Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State has denied ordering the closure of shops belonging to non-indigenous traders in the state.

The allegation was made in a statement that was circulated in major towns in the state over the weekend.

According to the statement, the Governor ordered the council chairmen to lock up shops belonging to non-indigenes who voted for the Labour Party in the recent Presidential and National Assembly elections.

The statement accused non-indigenous traders, especially Igbo traders, of working against the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

In response to the allegation, the Governor described it as a “horrible blackmail from the pit of hell.” He denied ever giving such an order and urged the public to disregard the statement.

The spokesman of the APC campaign council in the state, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla, also dismissed the allegation as “bunkum, balderdash, ludicrous, ridiculous, blatant falsehood, infantile, vile, and malicious propaganda.”

He said that the statement did not emanate from the APC and should be disregarded.

The allegation of the closure of shops belonging to non-indigenous traders in Cross River State has generated widespread condemnation from different quarters.

Many have described it as an attack on the fundamental rights of non-indigenous traders to carry out their lawful business activities in the state.

The Igbo community in the state has also expressed concern over the development.

In a statement issued by the President-General of the Igbo Community Welfare Association in the state, Chief Emmanuel Ezeife, the community condemned the alleged move to shut down Igbo-owned shops in the state.

Ezeife called on the Governor to investigate the matter and ensure that the rights of non-indigenous traders are protected.

The development has also attracted the attention of human rights organizations in the country.

The Executive Director of the Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice, Comrade Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman, has called on the Governor to ensure that the rights of non-indigenous traders are not violated in the state.

Sulaiman warned that any attempt to discriminate against non-indigenous traders on the basis of their ethnic identity would be a violation of their fundamental rights as citizens of Nigeria.