TENSION is mounting in Onitsha, Anambra State, following the arrest of the chairman of the Ozomagala Building Materials Association, Chief Obiora Okoro, and two other traders by a police team from the Legal Department of Force Headquarters, Abuja.
The arrests, which occurred over the weekend, have sparked outrage among traders who claim the police action constitutes a flagrant disregard for a subsisting court order.
Arrests Despite Pending Court Case
The police team, led by an officer identified as Kabiru, arrested Nonso Paul and Emma Carpet on Saturday morning. Later that evening, when Okoro visited the Onitsha Police Area Command where they were being detained, he was also arrested .
Sources revealed that Okoro had gone to present food to the detained traders before being apprehended himself. According to market sources, a phone call from a contact identified only as “Anna” to the team leader prompted the arrest of the chairman .
A market chieftain, Kenneth Okafor, condemned the arrests, pointing out that the case is already before a competent court of law.
“There is no way a case will be pending in a court of competent jurisdiction and police officers pretend as if nothing is happening by coming to arrest a faction without court order,” Okafor stated.
Court Order Restraining Police
An Nnewi High Court, presided over by Justice V.N. Agbata, had previously issued an order restraining the Inspector General of Police and the Special Investigation Unit from arresting or detaining Okoro pending the determination of the substantive suit .
The suit, No HN/MISC 50/2026, was filed by Okoro and the Incorporated Trustees of the Ozomagala Building Materials Traders’ Association against members of the Modebe family and senior police officers, including ACP Moses Julugbo and SP Shoulamite Ilodigwe .
Okoro alleged in court documents that the Modebe family had boasted of police connections which they vowed to use to continue to intimidate him over leased properties .
According to the affidavit, there is a 50-year lease agreement for ten plazas at N7 million each between the Modebe family and the association. Okoro claimed he was later told to relinquish some of the properties because the price was allegedly too low—a request he refused since the agreement had already been concluded .
Traders Call for IGP Intervention
Okafor urged the Inspector General of Police, Tunji Disu, to intervene and halt what he described as the illegal activities of the Legal Department officers who have turned Onitsha into a “fertile ground to enrich themselves.”
“Just about a month ago, Okoro and two others were arrested by the Legal Department of Force Headquarters Abuja and they bailed themselves. Today, the same legal department has come again and arrested Okoro and two others,” Okafor revealed.
“This illegal activity of the police legal department was what caused the ban of IGP’s SIU Abuja when IGP Tunji Disu took over,” he added .
Background to the Crisis
The crisis stems from a long-standing leadership dispute at the Ozomagala Building Materials Market, which is situated on private property owned by the Modebe family .
Traders have previously protested against the imposition of a caretaker committee by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Markets, arguing that the market is a private plaza and not a public market .
The Anambra State Government had approved the inauguration of a caretaker committee following the dissolution of Okoro’s executive over unresolved administrative and governance concerns . However, Okoro allegedly continued to parade himself as chairman, creating tension within the market community.
The dispute escalated when Okoro allegedly supervised the demolition of certain structures within the market without the consent of either the caretaker committee or the Modebe family .
The matter is set to return to court on April 23, 2026, for further hearing .
