‘Aba Hausa traders‘ve no link with Boko Haram’

Weekly Trust:  Sir, may we know who you are?Alhaji Mohammed Sani Jos: I am the secretary of Onions Dealers Association, Aba and apart from onions we equally deal in yams, beans and so forth, all at the wholesale level. All the trucks that ferry these food items I mentioned earlier from the North to the […]

Weekly Trust:  Sir, may we know who you are?
Alhaji Mohammed Sani Jos: I am the secretary of Onions Dealers Association, Aba and apart from onions we equally deal in yams, beans and so forth, all at the wholesale level. All the trucks that ferry these food items I mentioned earlier from the North to the eastern part of the country regularly off-load their wares in this market. As you can see, our customers come from Rivers, AkwaIbom, Imo and even Cross River states. They all come here to purchase the items I mentioned earlier. It may interest you to know that this market has been in existence for over 30 years now, and indeed, all the tribes in Nigerian do come here to transact business.
Weekly Trust: There are some security challenges in the country and this has affected a lot of people, both Christians and Muslims, and people are living in perpetual fear. How has this affected your business?
 Sani Jos: Honestly, the Hausa community in Aba is saddened by this unprecedented situation. The northerners living in the south-east are the most affected. We cannot do our business freely without fear of reprisal attacks from our Igbo brothers. Our business fortunes are dwindling on a daily basis. 
 Just recently, we often receive calls from security agencies alleging that as our trucks, conveying these foodstuffs are loaded with Improvised Explosive Devices and other ammunitions. As a result of this development, our business is witnessing a lull and demand is poor.   However, we have been making frantic efforts to allay their fears that we don’t have Boko Harem sect members among the traders.  On several occasions, we invited security agents to search the trucks coming in as well as the whole market.
Again, since the emergence of the Boko Harem, our customers from different parts of the country are now afraid of coming to the market to buy goods from us. Their fear is that as they transact business bomb may explode in the market and since that time business has never been the same again. But before now we made fortunes from this business in Aba.
Weekly Trust: What are the other challenges you face, especially concerning infrastructure, sanitation as well as multiple taxation?
Sani Jos: We lack so many facilities. Some of the stalls require rehabilitation and the roofs leak.  The parking lot where trucks park to off-load onions are in bad shape, just like the road leading to the park desires complete rehabilitation and reconstruction. However, if the state government can assist us by ensuring that these facilities are repaired, I think the Hausa community, Aba would remain grateful to the Abia State government.
Weekly Trust: What effort is the leadership of the market making to ensure that Abia State Environmental Protection Agency takes measures to tackle the environmental challenges in the market?
Sani Jos: Actually, oftentimes various government agencies, including agency for environmental protection, come here to collect revenue without doing any job. Some of them collect N10,000, while others demand for N20,000 as the case may be.  But more worrisome is that some of them come here with policemen harassing unsuspecting traders. But they end up not contributing anything towards the cleanliness of the environment but only extort money from the traders.
Weekly Trust: From all indications, it does appear that most of the traders are resident within the market with their families?
Sani Jos: Your observation is correct. Over 80 percent of us live with our families in the shops, just like myself, I have two wives one from the Hausa tribe and my second wife is an Igbo, called Amaka.  Therefore, if you ask me to go back to my state, which is Plateau, I will not. Rather, you better kill me here in Aba than to relocate with my family to elsewhere because for over 25 years I have lived in Aba, got married with children. My means of livelihood is in Aba where else do I go from where?
Weekly Trust: What efforts has the leadership of Hausa community made to clarify the identities of your arrested members, who were labeled suspected Boko Harem by security agents? 
Sani Jos: We met the soldiers severally to explain the identity of the suspects, but initially they bluntly refused to listen to us. But we thank God that later on they listened to our cry and released 140 suspects. As we speak now, I have just been informed that 11 Toyota Hiace vehicles have been released again. We don’t know the actually number of persons inside the vehicle.
Weekly Trust: What efforts have you made to enhance the security in the market, to ensure that Boko Harem members do not infiltrate you?
Sani Jos: We told our members to verify the identity of those coming into the market as well as those going out to ensure that criminal elements do not use the market as a hideout. We monitor strange faces strictly.  However, security personnel oftentimes, carry out random searches in the market.  With every sense of honesty, we must commend the security agents for a job well done and the mutual cooperation they have given us so far.
Weekly Trust: But specifically, some northern youths travelling to Port Harcourt were arrested by soldiers, who alleged that they were members of Boko Harem. As a leader of the Hausa community, what is your take on the arrest?
Sani Jos: Honestly, those people apprehended by security agents are not Boko Haram members. we have testified  before security agents  that they are innocent people looking for their daily bread, majority of them are youths who were  travelling  to  work for money to  send  to their parents during this  sallah  festive season.
 Many engage in menial jobs in the city to make ends meet. They engage in wheelbarrow pushing, shoe-shining and so forth. And immediately sallah festivities are over, they would return to help their parents. They are itinerant northern traders providing services lacking in the city centre. We thank God that government did not find them with any ammunition in their vehicle.