(Desmond Mgboh, KANO)
Thousands of Igbo traders and businessmen in Kano State, Wednesday,
staged a demonstration to express their anger and grief over a spate of
killings of their colleagues and relatives in the state in recent times.
Those who were killed include the Late Mr. Tochukwu Augustine Ilo,
killed by the operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad a week ago,
and the Late Mrs. Bridget Agbaheme, who was hacked to death by Islamic
extremists who had accused him of blasphemy a few weeks ago.
The protest, which was held amid a tight security by the police,
commenced with the closure of thousands of shops owned by Igbo traders
in the different markets of the state and in the whole of the metropolis
as early as 6 00am.
Daily Sun gathered that all Igbo-owned shops were closed to business
at the popular Abubakar Rimi Market, the Iron and Steel Market in Kofar
Ruwa, Kofar Wambai Market, including shops and small businesses that
line the streets of Sabon- Garri metro area, resulting in huge
difficulties in accessing a number of items in these markets.
At Rumfa Primary School, Enugu Road, Sabon Garri , Kano where the
mourners assembled for the mourning, over 5000 Igbo traders and business
men showed up in solidarity protest.
The mourners paid tribute to the deceased, praying for an end to the
killings of Igbo in the state. Igbo youth among them sang round the
field of the school carrying placards with inscriptions that read in
English, Igbo and Hausa : “Stop the killings of Igbo in Kano” and “We
are peaceful people.”
The Chairman of the Sabon-Garri Market Igbo Traders Association, who
addressed the press, restated his condemnation of the brutal murder of
his member, saying he was a good man who was killed in bad taste.
He said that they were gathered to mourn his demise while adding that
they will do all that was within their powers to ensure that his death
was not in vain.
He tasked the police authorities to quickly bring the culprits to
book even as he asked then government to take definite steps to end to
the random killing of Igbo people in the state.
He prayed for the soul of the deceased while begging God to grant the affected families the fortitude to bear the loss.
Eze Ndigbo Kano, Chief Boniface Ibekwe, who made a brief appearance
at the event, disclosed the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammad Sanusi 11 had
waded into the issue, assuring the traders of the determination of the
monarch to ensure that justice was done.
He condemned the killer of the young man, saying it was painful to every Igbo man in the state
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