Police investigating alleged assault of petty trader by CRSG officials —PPRO

The Police Command in Cross River says it has commenced investigation into the alleged assault of the head of Cross River State Pollution Control Agency (CRPCA), Mr Tony Adinye, by a petty trader, identified as Madam Lucy.

The Command’s spokesman, SP Irene Ugbo, made this known to newsmen in Calabar on Saturday.

She said that one of the parties in the matter was insisting on going to court and  as such, the police would  do their job accordingly.

“I am aware that the matter was reported at Akim Police Station. As we speak they (Police) have started investigation into the matter in a bid to get the truth.

“We are going to be diligent and act real fast about this and I can assure you that justice will be served,” Ugbo said.

It would be recalled that an altercation allegedly  ensued between officials of the CRPCA and a female petty trader at the Calabar Stadium vicinity on Tuesday evening.

It was gathered that the CRPCA had earlier issued a notice to traders who sold their wares by the road side to relocate to designated areas to sell them .

The controversy between the CRPCA officials and the petty trader was reportedly triggered by the alleged refusal of the female petty trader to relocate from where she was selling her wares to the designated area.

She was said to have alleged that officials of the agency attempted to forcefully evict her from where she was selling oranges during which she was beaten and her daughter was arrested.

The woman  also alleged that the N250,000 she had borrowed from a micro finance bank was stolen by the government agents.

Meanwhile, when contacted, the CRPCA boss, Adinye, debunked the woman’s claims and described her allegation as “trying to play the victim.”

According to Adinye , the woman refused to relocate to a space that had been provided for those affected by the notice of relocation even when others had done so.

Adinye said to make it easy, the agency gave the traders an advance notice of almost two months to move and also carried out sensitisation on why they should move.

He said, “All our efforts were geared towards sanitising the city which has been defaced by petty traders or hawkers who sell their wares indiscriminately outside market centres, many even sell on walkways.

“We did not tell anyone to stop selling, all we asked them to do was to relocate to the designated area that had been provided.

“Our aim was to ensure that they were not in danger of any sort and also keep the city clean. I had to send officials of the agency to this woman thrice to make her see reason why she should move.

“On that fateful day, when we got there, I tried speaking to her myself but she flared up and said she won’t move because they “owned” the government.

“It was at this point that I asked my men to confiscate her items; that was how she charged at me and others with a knife and injured me and three others.

“Even with blood gushing out of my lips, I insisted that the woman must not be touched. I had armed security personnel with me but not even one of them came close to her.

“There is video evidence to all that transpired between us and the woman, so it can be verified.”