Protesters gather at Plateau market to demand government intervention
The burnt Terminus Market, located in the heart of Jos, the Plateau State Capital, came under siege on Tuesday, when displaced traders embarked on a peaceful protest.
The traders carried placards which read, “Government, pity us, we Are Hungry”, “We are not terrorists”, “We are deceived by Government” etc. They were peaceful and orderly, supervised by the police and Civil Defence Corps.
They did not block the road, nor did they pose any threat to people around or passers-by.
Speaking to newsmen later, the leader of the protest, Anthony Michael, pleaded with the government to please look after its people.
Michael said that they were peacefully protesting for the government to give them enough space to sell their wares.
He said that the government had instructed them to pack out, as the burnt market is undergoing renovation, adding that the area allocated to them is not spacious enough to accommodate them.
A mother of four and trader who was one of the protesters, Mrs. Happiness Abubakar, said that when the market was burnt, few people benefited from the government’s gesture of cushioning the effect on the affected traders.
She pleaded to the government to help them as they do not want to be rendered jobless and idle.
She said that the government provided 1,000 shops, but that only 400 shops were physically rented out, while 600 of the shops were being manipulated by forces beyond their control, sidelining those who were supposed to benefit.
Source: The Guardian
