Pandemonium erupted on Tuesday at the Emordi Shoe Dealers’ Market in Onitsha, Anambra State, after suspected hoodlums stormed the area and violently attacked traders, leaving several persons injured and hospitalised.
Eyewitnesses said the assailants arrived at the market in broad daylight and unleashed coordinated attacks on traders, throwing the commercial hub into chaos as people fled for safety.
Videos circulating on social media show traders with bloodied faces and visible injuries, writhing in pain after the assault. Some victims were seen receiving emergency treatment, while others were rushed to hospitals across the state.
Traders alleged that the attack was linked to a long-standing leadership crisis within the Emordi Shoe Dealers’ Association. They accused a former chairman of the association, Mr. Nwabueze Umeh, of orchestrating the violence following disputes over the outcome of a recent leadership election.
One trader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the election that produced the current chairman, Okwudili Anigbogu, was duly conducted and supervised by officials of the Onitsha South Local Government Area. However, he alleged that the former chairman rejected the result and falsely claimed that the election had been annulled by the state government.
“There has been no official letter or announcement from the government to support that claim,” the trader said.
According to multiple eyewitnesses, the hoodlums were allegedly accompanied by members of a state security outfit known as SASA. Traders claimed that men and women were beaten indiscriminately during the invasion.
Another trader described the scene as resembling a war zone. “People were screaming and running for their lives. Heads and bones were broken,” he said.
Traders also alleged that attempts to record the attack were forcefully stopped, with phones seized and destroyed by the assailants. They further accused the security operatives involved of carrying out illegal arrests and detentions without handing suspects over to the police.
The crisis was also linked to a land dispute, with traders alleging that land allocated by the government for market expansion was illegally sold off during the tenure of the former chairman, a matter currently in court.
As of the time of filing this report, several injured traders, including the incumbent chairman, were receiving treatment at different hospitals. In a video shared on Wednesday, Anigbogu was seen with bandages around his head, alleging that he sustained deep injuries during the attack.
Frightened traders have appealed to Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo, to urgently intervene and restore peace in the market.
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