..Markets demolition engender protests
..Task force invasion prevails
By Gabriel Udeh, Kaduna
The hardship under the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic has grew worse in most parts of the States in the country.
Kaduna State situation worsened after demolition of alleged sex party building, as
most notable fast foods and drinking centres and joints that provides service jobs for young people within the metropolis have vertically dried up.
Most of them have completely shutdown for lacks of patronage and fear of losing their business and business premises to demolition.
Our correspondent who went round the metropolis reported that the popular Mr Big, Rites, Rich Bites, Food planets, Delicious and many others fast food companies, exempted from partial lockdown, are also seriously affected.
While the owners declined comments with journalists, our correspondent uncovered that even alcoholic based- joints such as beer parlour and drinking joints located within kaduna metropolis and environs were the worst hit as most, if not all, have had their premises shutdown some weeks ago for fear of been demolished.
Kaduna officials claiming to be members of taskforce have continue to invades some drinking centres, clamping down on owners, and in some cases beating up customers in enforcing compliance.
Owners of the affected joints which includes mainly Future View, Halima junction, Mummy’s Villa, refinery junctions among others joints in Romi, Television and Sabon Tasha area of kaduna South, have respectively decried high handedness of the state taskforce.
A widow Mrs. Faith Odeh operating restaurant has had her temporary canopy forcefully unfolded based on directive by some agent of government officials.
While victims and the business owners are counting their loses, they lamented the undue advantage of the situation also by some Police officers including DPOs who sneaked into some of the drinking joints and in the night and left freely without paying a dying after taken some bottles, a operating manager revealed.
In addition, beer consumers are also complaining of the steady rise in price of the alcoholic beer product, apparently due to partial restrictions placed on its sales and distribution.
Already beers are currently being imported into the State from outside Kaduna, because of the warning by the state machinery to beer companies , according to insider sources and some dealers who spoke to our reporter in confidence.
Efforts made to verify from officials of Nigerian brewery Plc failed due to bottleneck, an insider however confided that brewery ran short of the products on or before Christmas due to high demand for beer, which led to its scarcity.
The question being asked however is whether alcoholic based sanitizer prescribed for COVID-19 prevention, is a ploy, and does not applied to alcoholic drinks such as the beer and related products.
Recalled that a one-storey building was demolished over alleged sex party under the current partial lockdown and most markets places in Kaduna metropolis demolished without settling those legally owned shops owners,
And no alternative places provided, which recently engendered protest in Kaduna State, in the volatile area of Rigasa Community.
