Officials of the FCT Administration (FCTA) have demolished the Lugbe Building Materials Market in Abuja.

The market, which houses businesses for the thriving building industry in the FCT, sits under electricity transmission lines and on a road corridor for the Ring Road 3 project, which officials said necessitated the demolition.

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The FCTA conducted the demolition with a combined security outfit to destroy the stalls built in shafts which the marketers said had been in existence for the past 20 years.

The marketers claimed the demolition caught them off guard, even though they were informed.

When City & Crime visited the place, marketers were seen trying to save their wares from the bulldozers brought to destroy the market.

A drizzle during the exercise did not deter the officials from leveling the market.

The Chairman of Sand Suppliers in the market, who simply identified himself as Abdulrahman, said he was shocked by the total demolition of the market as the information they had was that it would only affect those under the electricity transmission lines.

Abdulrahman noted that transactions of over N2bn were conducted in the market daily, with more than 2,000 persons conducting trade to feed their families.

He said, “We were aware of the demolition, but they did not give us the appropriate time to prepare to pack our goods. We have been conducting our trade in the area for 20 years without any trouble with authorities, but what they told us from different meetings we had was that the demolition won’t affect those not close to the transmission lines.

“That was why we were not prepared to pack our loads. Even when they brought the bulldozers yesterday, we were relaxed, but unfortunately, they destroyed millions of goods just to clear the place.”

Another trader, Michael Obi, said the authorities had informed them of the demolition two months ago but that most traders did not pack out due to the state of the area assigned to them.

Obi said the market provided as an alternative was in Sabon Lugbe but lacked an access road to heavy trucks which brought goods they ordered.

While stating that the demolition was bad timing, he said the traders and residents would suffer from the demolition as the market contributed a huge revenue for everyone.

Speaking at the site, FCTA’s Director, Department of Development Control, Mukhtar Galadima, said the exercise was to clean the city from illegal structures and shanties.

He said the market area was a road corridor that led to Gwarinpa and other parts of the city.

It was further learnt that the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has given a contract for the energisation of the transmission lines that pass through the market, hence that the market had to be removed before the contractors moved to the site.

The Public Relations Officer of the Lagos State Police Command, Benjamin Hundeyin, has refuted the viral video claiming that a police officer shot a man in the Ketu area of the state on Monday.

The Police spokesman disclosed this while reacting to report, via his Twitter handle, that one of the officers of the Command shot a man simply identified as Yusuf in the Ketu area.

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Meanwhile, the controversy emerged when a video surfaced, showing a man with a bloodied hand being placed in a commercial bus after sustaining an injury after being allegedly shot by a police officer.

However, the officer in question was seen on the ground, with the onlookers claiming that he was assaulted by an angry mob while attempting to flee the scene after allegedly shooting the bloodied man.

Dismissing the claims, the Lagos PPRO said none of the people involved in the video was shot, adding that they were both victims of a road accident.

He said, “It often amazes me how ‘journalists’ will jettison fact-checking and conveniently adopt lock, stock, and barrel the sensational version of events narrated by passersby who themselves did not witness an event from the beginning.

“This was a road accident that occurred when a BRT bus hit a minibus that had been stopped by the police for illegally using the BRT lane.

“The person with the bloodied hand was not shot at all, let alone by the police. The person on the floor is a policeman, but was not beaten to stupor by anyone. They both were victims of the same accident.

“They have been rescued and are currently stable. Beating to stupor takes more than a second. How come there is no video/picture of the beating while it lasted?,” Hundeyin stated.

Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, OFR, has given the go ahead for the state to enter into discussion with a Hungarian company, Ortoprofil, to set up a manufacturing plant in the state.

This was the outcome of a meeting between senior officials of the Abia State Government, led by the Governor and top officials of the Hungarian Government, led by Mr. Gabor Kruss, Deputy Ambassador Embassy of Hungary, Nigeria, at the weekend.

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Ortoprofil is a Hungarian medical Service Provider with its own affiliate manufacturing custom-made, high quality limb prostheses (lower limb and upper limb prosthesis ranging from aesthetics to body-powered applications), electronic and mechanic wheelchairs and orthopedic/therapeutic shoes, insoles for flat-foot and diabetic foot.

The Hungarian delegation, who was received by Governor Otti in Isialangwa, came with various propositions in different sectors they expressed interest to collaborate and partner with the Abia State Government, ranging from Energy, Health, Education, Agriculture, Sports, provision of portable drinking water among others.

After presentations by Ambassador Kruss and Judith Beres, Economic Counselor Embassy of Hungary, Nigeria, the Abia Government team, which included commissioners for Trade, Commerce and Industry, Dr. Chimezie Ukaegbu; Education, Prof Uche Eme-Uche; and Health, Dr. Ngozi Okoronkwo, deliberated on the different options after which decision was made to go with Ortoprofil.

“The first time we met, we talked about cooperation in the area of healthcare development. I know that you spent over a million dollars retrofitting St. Charles Hospital in Anambra. We will be very interested in that kind of cooperation.

“The Ortoprofil manufacturing plant has been approved. The details will be worked out. I will direct the Commissioner for Trade, Commerce and Industry to liaise with the Commissioner for Lands, who is not here right now, so that we can provide the half hectare of land for them anywhere they choose,” Dr. Otti said, while voicing his seal of approval.

He continued, “That would be some form of partnership. We would provide the land without asking for payment for it, that will be our contribution. From what is stated here, they have 1.5 million dollars to invest. I’m actually looking at a company that will produce prosthetics for upper and lower limbs. I believe they can also produce a whole lot of things including shoes or raw materials.

“For us there are two important things, the production that is happening here and creation of jobs for our people. The production increases our GDP and hopefully our Internally Generated Revenue.”

Governor Otti said the government would also be looking at opportunities in the area of education.

According to him, “The area of scholarship is also something we want to take advantage of. We have a lot of our young people with various initiatives, they are inventors and very innovative in thinking even if they didn’t go to proper school. We will encourage them to go to school. They are better inventors when they go to school.”

However, the Governor described the rest of the discussions as bordering on “profit and loss”, adding that the government would have to put them on the table for proper Scrutiny.

The Nigerian Optometric Association (NOA) has condemned the murder of one of its members, Dr.Ogechi Ezeagu.

Ezeagu, a resident of Bwari in Bwari Area Council, Abuja, lost her life during a scuffle with her husband on July 10, 2023, according to the family.

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NOA, in a statement signed by its President, Dr. Anderson Chimeziri, sympathized with her family and the Optometry community in Nigeria.

Chimeziri called on the concerned authorities in the Federal Capital Territory and the Inspector General of Police to intervene.

Chimeziri also urged the National Assembly, the National Human Rights Commission, Law Enforcement Agencies, Ministry of Women Affairs, Civil Society Groups, Non Governmental Organizations and well-meaning Nigerians to join hands in ensuring that perpetrators of crime against vulnerable people as well as their enablers are punished.

“Nigerian Optometric Association will not let this lie low as we shall put measures in place to safeguard our women members.

“We are already collaborating with Women Optometrists in Nigeria(WON) to provide legal services that will protects our female members whether single or married from abuse of any kind.

“The welfare of our members is our utmost priority. NOA has set up a committee on Women Affairs to liaise with existing bodies and interphase with gender based activists to protect our women members from harassment and abuse.

“We are closely monitoring the case of Dr.Ezeagu’s murder and shall respond as the need arises. Enough is Enough,” the statement said.