Orba International Market crisis: Association alleges intimidation, decries attempts by “powers that be” to twist case, turn accusers to accused

By Ogbu Nweke, Nsukka

The Orba Modern Market Traders’ Association (OMMTA) has decried what the group described as “disruptive attempts by some powers that be in Udenu” to arm-twist the police and Enugu State government into abandoning justice for the association whose elected executives were “illegally dissolved by the Enugu State government” allegedly at the instance of the agents of Udenu Local Government Council “and replaced with an illegal, unconstitutional caretaker executive.”

AbeyaNews reports that barring any unforeseen circumstances, about six or so members of the Orba Modern Market Traders’ Association (OMMTA) are on their way to Abuja this morning (Wednesday, September 10) to honour an invitation from the Intelligence Department of the Nigeria Ploce, Force Headquarters for “investigation activities”.

According to the letter of invitation, the Department is “investigating a case of corruption, threat to life, conduct likely to cause breach of peace” in which the names of Ngwu Nich, Ugwuede Chima, Onah Rowland, Eze Osita, Ngwu Kingsley; Ugwu Sunday, Ngwu Ifeanyi and others “featured prominently and the need to obtain certain clarification becomes imperative.”

In what has become a classical case of the hunter becoming the hunted, AbeyaNews learnt that the aforementioned persons are members of the Executive of the Orba Modern Market Traders’ Association (OMMTA) now “illegally dissolved”, and other market stakeholders, who had earlier dragged members of the Enugu State government-instituted Orba International Market Caretaker Committee, the Enugu State government and its agents to court over the dissolution of the elected OMMTA executive, and obtained restraining orders against them, but which orders were “flagrantly” disobeyed by the accused.

What is turning into the Orba International Market Saga began when, about November last year and contrary to the constitution of the Orba Mordern Market Traders Association (OMMTA), “external interference in the affairs of OMMTA” began with visible moves by the State government, Udenu Local Government Council and or their agents to allegedly take over the affairs of the Association.

In a petition dated August 7, 2025, titled ILLEGAL DISSOLUTION OF ORBA MODERN MARKET TRADERS ASSOCIATION, UNLWAFUL USURPATION OF THE POWERS AND PRIVILEGES OF OMMTA AND UNCONSTITUTIONAL INTERFERENCE WITH THE AFFAIRS OF OMMTA (BY AGENTS OF THE ENUGU STATE GOVERNMENT), and written to the Enugu State Commissioner for Trade and Investment by MJ Eze Esq of MJ Eze Law Chambers, 61 University Market Road Nsukka, on behalf of OMMTA, the Association led by Mr. Brendan Ugwu as Chairman, appealed for the Hon. Commissioner’s intervention to put a stop to “several attempts” by agents of the State and Udenu Local Governments “to take over the affairs of the Association.”

“Consequent upon that, our Clients wrote a letter to your office and also to the Commissioner for Trade, Investment and Industry, concerning the attempts by (agents of) Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State to take over the affairs of our Association, (a copy of the letter dated 25/11/2024 attached),” MJ Eze wrote.

“Despite (evidence) of the letter being received, our clients did not receive any feedback (until) sometime in December 2024 (when) the Commissioner for Trade, Investment and Industry wrote a letter to our client where she dissolved all Traders Association and Market Executives and later appointed a Caretaker Committee to take over the affairs of the Association.

“Following the said letter, the said Commissioner appointed certain public officers and civil servants as the Caretaker Committee to take over and run the affairs of the Association.

“We also have the information that the Caretaker Committee and other persons while acting for themselves and on behalf of the Commissioner for Trade, Investment and Industry and Udenu Local Government took some steps to take over the affairs of the Association.

“…It is also within our knowledge that the Caretaker Committee while acting for themselves and on behalf of the Commissioner for Trade, Investment and Industry, in partnership with Udenu Local Government have forcefully taken over the official properties of the Association.”

Eze noted that Orba Market traders and members of the Market’s associations had “associated in unity and carried out their trade and business activities peacefully until the Commissioner for Trade, Investment and Industry, in partnership with Udenu Local Government came to disrupt the peaceful co-existence between Orba Market traders and their only association,” stressing that neither the Commissioner for Trade, Investment and Industry, nor the Chairman of Udenu Local Government is “part of Orba Modern Market Traders Association.”

Insisting that the Enugu State Commissioner for Trade, Investment and Industry, in partnership with Udenu LG, acted illegally, MJ Eze Esq quoted Section 23(1) Administrative Law cap 6 vol 1. Revised Laws of Enugu State 2004, which provides that “any person or authority vested with executive powers shall act strictly within the limits of the powers conferred upon him.”

“There is no law that confers on the Local Government Chairman or the Trade, Investment and Industry the power to dissolve an association registered under CAMA,” Eze warned.

“Similarly, Section 23(2) Administrative Law cap 6 vol 1. Revised Laws of Enugu State 2004 further provides that any executive action taken by any person or authority outside the limits of the powers conferred upon him or in violation of any constitutional provision for the time being in force shall be null and void.

“In the case before us, the Trade, Investment and Industry in partnership with Udenu Local Government Chairman have acted in violation of the statutory and constitutional provisions. (And) by virtue of Section 850(1)(a)-(d) Companies and Allied Act 2020, only the court can dissolve a body corporate on a petition brought for the purpose by the governing body or council, one or more trustees, members of the association constituting at least 50% of the total membership or the CAC,” Barrister Eze further argued.

“It is nowhere provided in the Constitution guiding and regulating the affairs of Orba Modern Market Traders Association that any commissioner or local government chairman shall have power to dissolve the Association.

(Indeed), by virtue of the Articles 5 and 7(c) of the Association’s Constitution, “it is not provided that members and executive committee shall cease to hold office if dissolved by state or local government or any of their agents.”

“The Commissioner for Trade and Investment and Chairman of the Local Government are not mentioned under section 850(1)(a)-(d) and Allied Matters Act 2020 as those that can dissolve a private association or that can petition a court to dissolve a private association.

“In the case before us, the Commissioner for Trade and, Investment and Industry and the Udenu Local Government have acted in violation of the statutory and constitutional provisions.

“It is an abuse of office and false assumption of authority for the Commissioner for Trade, Investment and Industry and the Udenu Local Government Chairman to dissolve the Association (OMMTA) in violation of the relevant laws,” MJ Eze Esq surmised.

Briefing briefing journalists in Orba over the last weekend, Mr. Brendan Ugwu, the elected chairman of OMMTA agonised: “The foregoing provides the background to summon to Abuja this morning for “investigation activities” by the Intelligence Department of the Nigeria Police. As we all can see, a case which we took to the relevant law enforcement agencies for justice have been hijacked by some powerful people in Udenu, who, in an obvious attempts to obstruct justice, have turned us the accuser into the accused.”

AbeyaNews gathered that the market crisis could have been amicably resolved locally and much earlier than now, had the petitions written to the DPO Obollo-Afor and the Enugu State Police commissioner against the Caretaker Committee members led by Mr. Nnadi Emmanuel Iloabuchi with Ozioko Eugene Ifeanyi, Ezugwu Augustine, Ezedia Obinna Okafor , Ezugwu Uchenna, Anayo Ogbodo, Nnamani Chika, Ugwu Chidi, Nnadi Cyril, Ugwuonah Jonas, Chinwe Julius, Eze Benjamin, Mr Obinna Eze And Attamah Nnamdi as members, earlier this year not been left unattended to by the relevant law enforcement authorities.

This, according to our findings, prompted the complainants to take their case to Zone 13, Ukpo, Anambra State, where it was gathered, the police promptly swung into action and invited the accused persons for questioning and further investigation.

However, to lesson the already growing tension in Orba town following the crisis, it was gathered, the Orba Lawyers Forum intervened in the matter and got Ukpo to allow a cooling off period of one month during which the lawyers promised to apply the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism in the hope of resolving the crisis out of court.

But, while Ukpo quietly gave the go-ahead order to the lawyers and the complainants, the Brendan Ugwu-led OMMTA executive welcomed the ADR idea, the Emmanuel Nnadi-led Caretaker Committee was said to have leveraged an alleged connection with a powerful DIG in Abuja, to report the matter to the Intelligence Department, Force Headquarters, Abuja, whereupon Zone 13 was directed to hands-off the matter it had practically resolved.

“This is abuse of power and privileged positions,” Rowland Onah, Chairman of Concerned Market Traders, declared at the press briefing. “From the very beginning, every action taken by the accused has been characterised by impunity, acts of intimidation and abuse of power. From the illegal dissolution of OMMTA, the serial disobedience of court orders restraining them from usurping the positions of our Association’s elected executives and forcibly occupying our offices and illegally collecting fees in the market, to this criminal attempt to twist the case in favour of the very accused, the people we are dealing with have shown absolute disregard for order and the rule of law. And this isn’t how to provide political leadership for our people, I dare say.”

AbeyaNews could not reach officials of Udenu Local Government for comment. But this story is still unfolding and the visit to Abuja today by the Brendan Ugwu-led group could spring a lot of surprises could provide interesting perspectives that would prompt inevitable interactions with the State and Udenu Local Government officials on the matter.