By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
There are conflicting information over allegation of the shutdown of Sabon Tasha main market located along Kachia road in Sabon Tasha area of Kaduna town.
The Sabon Tasha market was rumoured to have been shutdown twice between Thursday and Friday January 2025, according to information circulating the area among residents in Sabon Tasha and environments.
However, when our correspondent visited the market scene on Friday afternoon, everything seemed calm and normal with the main entrance gate into the market widely open and marketing business going on without any crises of closure as speculated in some quarters.
However, when contacted, some traders confirmed the information of the closure of the market, some others especially the market leaders vehemently denied knowledge of any information on closure, saying nothing of that nature occurred.
Speaking to Hon. L. Madami, the Sarkin Kasuwa (Chief of Market) Sabon Tasha,he expressed shock when asked to explain the rational behind shutting down the popular market at a time when many are complaining of severe hardship in the country.
The Sariki further explained that, “I’m surprise and shock because I’m hearing about the closing of the market from you. As the “Sarkin Kasuwa” I doubt if there’s anything like that. If there’s anything like locking of the market I would have been inform.
“Even if a rumour, and you know rumours destroys. Thank God you are here, I’m here in the market. The quacks ones would not bother coming to verify. But when you came, did you see any shop locked? So thank you for coming.
“But these are rumours, we’ve no problem in the market here, the traders are doing their business peacefully. The traders are doing fine. I’m happy you’ve gone round and seen that everything is going on peacefully.
“So they’re just rumor mongers. There has not been anything like lock down of tge market even yesterday or any other days. There was no plan to move the traders from here to a new market. No We’ve not gotten that messages. There’s nothing like moving the market from here.
“There are all rumors. No police presence because we’ll be the one to involve police that there’s disruption but there’s none, “the chief of market explained.
However, when contacted, Mr Austin Maduka Chairman Igbo traders Association Sabon Tasha Kaduna and treasurer Sabon Tasha market committee confirmed that the market was locked on Thursday and Friday for some hours.
His words: “The Igbo association is a registered one in this market. Why the market was locked was because of what we heard and what they told us from Kaduna market board.
“Because I’m also a member of committee of Sabon Tasha market by my position, and I’m the treasurer of Sabon Tasha market. So Kaduna state Market board called us on Tuesday.
“And we met with the MD. They told us before that they want to upgrade the old market structures under the previous government. The market was demolished and they transfered us to this temporary site so that when they finish, we can come back to the upgraded market.
“Along the line they called us and told us that the contractor working on the market did not fufill the promised he made and there’ll be no market again. That they’ll now build the old market.
“The contractor that brought us here had agreement with the owner of the land, but since he transfer us here he did not pay anything to the man. Therefore the owner want the land back since the time he gave them has passed.
“They went to court, court say they should pay the money, about 5 million pay year or handover the land to the owner. And that they’ll transfer us to Angwan Boro new market down there. Boro market is privately owned and not government owned.
“So we need to come talk things over. So it becomes a problem to all our members in this time of economic hardship, when people are struggling to feed themselves, we don’t know what will be the outcome.
“We don’t know how much is the rentage or purchase. So it’s given thousands of traders sleepless nights.
“And we agree that the market will be lock so that all other people will join. It was peaceful agreement and not by force. And we had the meeting and now come back. So that’s the reason of locking the market so that other people will join. So it was a peaceful agreement and not a forceful one.
“We don’t know that the land owner had arrangement with the contractor. The market was lock yesterday Thursday and today Friday for some hours for us to wait and together with our Chairman to see sir Gbagyi himself. Market board suggested going to the new market in Ungwan Boro.
All effort to see the owner of temporary market land and the contractor for further clarification proved abortive, as they were unavailable. End
