The detained Chairman of Emodi Shoe Dealers Association (ESDA), in Ochanja Market, Onitsha, Anambra State, Mr Leonerd Umeh and three other executive members have regained freedom.
The others are Chizoba Nwokedi (Vice Chairman), Amaechi Mokwe (Treasurer) and Onyeka Chukwuweike (Assistant Secretary).
They were detained on April 29 by the zone 13 Police Command in Ukpo, Dunukofia Local Goverment Area of the state.
The Secretary General of the association, Obinna Nnobia, said on Tuesday that, “they were detained over frivolous allegations of burglary levelled against them by former chairman of the market, Chief Friday Nwabueze Umeh,”
“They were detained when they went to the police command based on police invitation,” he said.
The Secretary General had accused the former Chairman, Chief Friday Nwabueze Umeh, popularly called “Ofiafuluego”, of deliberate refusal to handover to the exco after nine years of his leadership.
He also alleged Umeh took over 450 plots of land belonging to the members as his personal property.
“He is still holding the Certificate of Occupancy, (C of O) of these plots of land in Oba and shops in the market and has severally dragged the executive members, especially the incumbent chairman, Leonerd Umeh, to the police”
“He has also used names of four of our dead members as Board of Trustees, (BOT) of the market and made himself as the chairman of the Board of Trustees,” he said.
But the former chairman, Chief Friday Nwabueze Umeh, described their allegations as false and unfounded adding that, “I have no business with the detention of the ESDA executives”
“It is those whose shops the detained executives burgle that detain them. They went and broke into 17 shops and l have no business with that”
“I am not holding their plots of land, the owners of the plots of land at Oba won them in the court, some of the owners are members of ESDA” he had said.
