Traders of Orba International Market in Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State, under the auspices of Orba Modern Market Traders Association (OMMTA), have kicked against the setting up of a caretaker committee to run the affairs of the market by the state government contrary to a court verdict.
According to a source within the elected executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the move would be resisted because it did not go down well with the majority of the traders.
“We have been notified, but I assure you we shall contest it,” according to the source. “The matter was decided in court, but the state government seems to be working against the rule of law. The matter will return to court for determination. The state was earlier restrained from such moves. How did they arrive at the latest directive without vacating the earlier judgement?”
The state Ministry of Trade, Investment and Industry, had in a statement on June 25, 2026, stated the suspension of the traders’ association, citing “unruly behaviour.”
The ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mr Ifeanyi Onah, had announced the appointment of Edward Eze as the General Manager of the association. Onah signed the letter on behalf of the Commissioner, Mr Ogbu Nwobodo.
The current tension in the market began following a directive of the state-backed committee, dated July 1, 2026, directing the ousted chairman to hand over all association’s properties, records and responsibilities to the caretaker committee.
The letter, signed by the newly appointed caretaker chairman, read in part, “I write with reference to the suspension of the Executive Committee of OMMATA, led by Brendan Ugwu, by the Ministry of Trade, Investment and Industry, Enugu State over allegations of unlawful activities in Orie Orba International Market.
“Consequent upon the suspension and constitution of a caretaker committee by the ministry, you are hereby directed to immediately hand over all OMMATA properties, records, documents, financial books and records, and account details.”
Another member of the ousted executive said, “I’m not a lawyer, but I know that the action is illegal. When the government that advocates the rule of law violates the same, where does a common man run to? Anyway, the judiciary remains our last hope.”
Our correspondent reports that the modern market was built by a private company with a $60m loan obtained from the World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme in 1996. It was attracted by a former Vice-Chancellor of Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Prof Julius Onah, who was then a consultant to the World Bank.
The project targeted at isolating the market from government control aimed at promoting trade and self-employment for traders. It was gathered that the Orba community donated five hectares of fully developed land for the project while the state government provided N8m as counterpart funding. The traders also contributed to offset the loan.
An Enugu High Court sitting at Obollo Afor, presided over by Justice Comfort Chinyere Ani, had, in a judgment delivered on May 13, 2025, ruled that the state government lacked the jurisdiction to sack the elected leadership of the traders or set up a caretaker committee to administer the market. The court also awarded N1m in damages against the state government over its action.
Justice Ani had ruled that the setting-up of a caretaker committee was arbitrary.
The ruling read in part, “It is hereby declared that the leadership of the Orba Modern Market Amalgamated Traders Association (OMMATA) remains with the elected executives headed by the plaintiff, Brendan Ugwu, as chairman. The defendant, Enugu State Government, is hereby perpetually restrained by themselves, agents, privies or howsoever described, from interfering with or interjecting in the collection, management and control of OMMATA or howsoever usurp the offices/functions and rights of the plaintiffs.”
The tenure of the ousted executive, which began in 2023, is due to elapse in 2027, reports THE WHISTLER.
(The Whistler)
