Outrage greets blockade of Food, Cattle coming South
VANGUARD
The Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, its South-East counterpart, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the Pan-Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, among others, yesterday, condemned stoppage of the supply of foodstuffs and cattle to the south from the north by the Amalgamated Union of Foodstuffs and cattle Dealers of Nigeria.
But Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, advised the Federal Government to address the complaints of the union which had called for payment of compensation of N4.75 billion to its members, being losses incurred during the #EndSARS’ protest and razing of their properties at Shasha market in Oyo State.
It, however, noted that though the union had a point to prove, they were going about it the wrong way, while the Northern Elders Forum, NEF, said it would intervene in the matter, only if it was sure the lives and properties of northern traders would be protected in the south.
This came as the Department of State Service, DSS, also, yesterday, invited leadership of the union for questioning. There had been scarcity of meat and other food items in markets in the south in the past one week, triggering a hike in the price of the few available. At press time yesterday, President of the union, Comrade Muhamad Tahir, was still being quizzed by the DSS.
DSS quizzes Foodstuffs and Cattle Dealers President
General Secretary of the union, Ahmed Alaramma, told newsmen at a briefing at Labour House, Abuja, yesterday: “As I speak with you, our president is with the DSS, he is being questioned at the DSS headquarters.” Alaramma, who noted that the union is kicking against alleged suppression of their members and task force put in place to enforce the strike on the major roads, said from the report received on the strike, their task force was being intimidated by the Army.
He added that they were surprised by this development, saying they wrote to all the security agencies, including the Army as well as the Presidency, before commencement of the strike. “We reject what the Nigerian Army has done to our task force. We assure our members across the country that our strike goes on.
We will never give up,” he said. He regretted that the Federal Government has not invited them for negotiation, but noted that the Kogi State government invited them. Alaramma also spoke of multiple taxation of their members and extortion by security agencies, the Army, Police, and hoodlums on the major roads in the south.
He said before a truckload of cows from Adamawa gets to its destination in the South-West, South-East or South-South, the owner would have spent about N250,000 on extortion.
It will be recalled that while declaring intention to go on strike, the union had claimed it lost 151 of its members during the recent Shasha crisis in Ibadan, Oyo State, while properties of their members were destroyed, including 100 trucks. To this end, it demanded N4.75 billion as compensation, both for the loss of lives and property destroyed. “Despite our several complaints, and engagements with the Presidency, security agencies and other relevant ministries regulating our operation as contained in our three weeks ultimatum issued on November 7, 2020, our members have continued to suffer intimidation, frustration, humiliation, destruction of their goods and carnage.
“You may recall that during the #EndSARS protest, our members were killed and their properties destroyed. We have demanded compensation for lives and properties lost by our members. “We have also written to various security agencies of Nigeria on the issue of multiple taxation that is hampering the activities of our members by mounting illegal road blocks at unavoidable and strategic location on federal highway and demand for the payment of illegitimate tax,’’ the union had stated.