Ado-Ekiti—Armed policemen on Thursday stormed some major markets in Ekiti State to dispersed traders and buyers who thronged those markets against the directive of the state government.
The policemen were at Bisi Market and Oja Oba both in Ado Ekiti and Shasha Market in Ikere Ekiti to stop trading activities in those markets
The officers who stormed the markets in many police pick-up vans and an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC), were civil with the traders and residents who came to the markets in effecting their closure.
Transactions were stopped at the two large markets in the state capital as traders and residents filled them to the brim without observing the rule of social and physical distancing.
Besides, the outpouring of residents who were utilising the one-day window of opportunity to restock food and other necessities, caused a huge traffic snarl by displaying their wares on the road.
The Commander of Mobile Police (MOPOL 33), ACP Samuel Erhale, who led the policemen to Oja Oba and Bisi Market at about 10.30am gave the traders thirty to pack their wares and leave for neighood markets immediately.
Social and physical distancing were observed at Shasha Market in Ikere Ekiti but Erhale insisted that holding the market violated government’s directive.
After holding consultations with the Sarkin Shasha, Erhale who is also the Assistant Commissioner in charge of Operations. (AC-OPS) of the state police command, ordered all traders and their customers thirty minutes to evacuate their goods and leave.
The police chief further lectured the traders on the need to observe physical and social distancing in line with the the advisory of the state government.
He insisted that the instruction of the state government was that Oja Oba and Bisi Market should not be opened for business hence the enforcement of the order to close them.
They waited until the traders evacuated their goods from the two markets in Ado Ekiti before heading to the market in Ikere to enforce the same order.
Scores of officers kept vigil at Oja Oba and Bisi Market to ensure that traders and customers did not resume businesses again as another group of officers headed to Ikere
Although shops within the Shasha Market in Ikere remained shut, buying and selling was still going on when the policemen arrived at about 11.20am.
The market became a ghost town after the thirty minutes given to traders to leave had lapsed.
It was learnt that traders had arrived the markets from all parts of the state as early as 5.00 am to transact businesses.
The huge number of people at the two main markets in Ado Ekiti fuelled concerns that many residents run the high rusk of COVID-19 infections.
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