Abia Taskforce Enforces “Stop Street Trading”: Demolishes Improper Stalls
The Abia State Harmonized Task Force led by Bobo Wogu on Tuesday September 30, 2025 evacuated traders who took the road side as their market stalls.
The exercise took place at Uber Street, along Clifford Road by Highlife (Ngwa Road By East), Abia State, and affected street traders who used the gutters as a point to display their goods.
The Director General of the Abia State Harmonized Task Force, Bobo Wogu, while carrying out the activity of demolishing structures that blocked part of the newly constructed road, spoke to news men about the activity.
“This place they stay to sell is inappropriate. There are spaces at Ahia Ọhụrụ and Good Morning Market. They should go there and rent stores and sell instead of occupying the roads to sell. Our Governor has ensured he gave us good roads. Staying by the road side to sell is dangerous and does not look good.
Besides, they liter the roads with dirt s everyday which adds more work to the ASEPA cleaners. The government spends so much money to maintain these roads and keep them near. Staying here to sell does not help matters. They should go into the market and sell their goods.”
He further stated that the traders were have been notified of the evacuation since July, 2024
“These traders have been notified of this development since 2024. This is September, 2025 and almost October. They are adamant towards adhering to government instructions. We have given them enough time to relocate to the newly built market stalls but that seems almost impossible. We have to take action.”
In response to the act of demolishing stalls built by traders on the road by the taskforce, an anonymous trader who was affected lamented bitterly about the cost of renting a shop in the market.
“It is true that we have been told to leave this place. But someone like me cannot afford to rent a shop in the market. I sell vegetables and renting a shop at Good Morning Market is so expensive that I cannot afford it. That is why people like me are still here. As this has happened, I don’t know what next to do because this is where I get money to feed my children”.
The Abia State Harmonized Task Force was set up by Governor Alex Otti to ensure that sanity is restored to the streets of Aba in particular.
