APGA Chieftain and erstwhile Chairman of Emordi Shoe Dealers Association, Ochanja market, Onitsha, Hon. Tochukwu Anigbogu, escaped death by the whiskers yesterday as thugs allegedly loyal to a former market leader, Chief Nwabueze Umeh, attacked him with dangerous weapons, leaving him in a pool of blood and gasping for breath.

Anigbogu, a former councillor in Njikoka Ward II, and member of the Soludo / Ibezim Campaign Council who worked for the re-election of Governor Soludo, was elected Chairman of the Emordi Shoe dealers alongside eight other executives on November 20, 2025 in an election supervised by the officials of Onitsha South local government area.

Surprisingly, the State Government through the Special Adviser on Markets Development, Chief Evarist Uba, later nullified the election and inaugurated a caretaker committee to oversee the affairs of the market.

Anigbogu and his group have since gone to court to challenge the action contending that they were duly elected with the mandate of the traders as a sub market association within Ochanja General Main Market.

But trouble deepened yesterday when Anigbogu led some policemen from the SCID Awka to effect the arrest of some traders in the market who instigated the attack on their leadership and disrupted their prayer session and handover ceremony on December 5, whom a case of assault has been established against, when a free for all ensued.

In the process, armed men and thugs said to be loyal to Umeh reportedly descended on Anigbogu, beat him to stupor and inflicted bodily injuries on him with cutlass and axes, causing him grievous harm and a broken skull.

Eyewitness account said that Anigbogu was rushed to a nearby hospital for medical attention but his attackers also stormed the facility to continue their attack but were prevented by the hospital security. He was later evacuated to another facility so as to save his life.

Speaking on Wednesday afternoon from the undisclosed medical facility where he is receiving treatment, Anigbogu alleged that Chief Nwabueze Umeh, popularly known as Ofiafuluagu Okija, hijacked the affairs of the Emordi Shoe Dealers for the past nine years when he refused to hand over after the expiration of his tenure.

He alleged that Ofiafuluagu had before now also failed to account for the multi million naira 450 plots of land acquired by the traders under his leadership at Oba and another 100 shops built by the traders for expansion of their market.

He said that he escaped death by the whiskers as his attackers descended on him with dangerous weapons and later invaded his three shops in the market and carted away goods and cash stacked inside those shops.

“We came to affect their arrest because Ofia and his boys have continued to attack us and prevented us from assuming office after our democratic election held on November 20th, 2025.

“Ofiafuluagu Okija instigated the attack on us on during our prayer session and handover ceremony on 5th December, 2025 where they unleashed mayhem on us with ndi aka odo , destroyed our plastic chairs, tables and also injured some of our members.

"So, we wrote a petition to the police who came for arrest yesterday and we went as pointer to aid the police on the invitation. It was there that Ofia ordered his boys to attack me with dangerous weapons. I passed out and was revived later in the hospital."

“Ofia has boasted that he has bought over anybody that matters in this case and there is nothing anyone can do to him about this. My life is in danger right now and I am calling on Governor Chukwuma Soludo to not only stop Ofia’s lawlessness but also restore our leadership of the market to ensure peace in the market because the traders overwhelmingly voted for us. This is a Save our Soul call,” Anigbogu stated.

When contacted for his reaction, Chief Nwabueze Umeh (Ofiafuluego) denied all allegations levelled against him by Anigbogu. He said instead that it was Anigbogu that came to attack him in his own office but those who were at the scene decided to retaliate and pay him in his own coin.

“95 percent of goods that come into that market belongs to me and they want to destroy my business. I was there in my office celebrating my wife’s birthday and also offloading our containers when Anigbogu came in with police and started pointing at those to be arrested.

“I did not even do anything. It was those who saw his affront that revolted and attacked him. I only went to his shop to look for some of the goods he collected from my office when he stormed there with policemen so I did not take anything away from his shop. Let him go and settle any issue he has with government and not me because government has constituted a caretaker committee in the market,” he said.

Meanwhile, Anigbogu and his executive members have filed a pre-action notice in court and also petitioned relevant government agencies geared towards restoring their leadership.

Counsel to the Registered Trustees of Emordi Shoe Dealers Association, Chief Ugo Ugwunnadi, filed a suit at Onitsha High Court against Chief Friday Nwabueze Umeh and 13 others.

In the suit number 0/390/2025 through an Originating Summon, the plaintiffs are seeking among other reliefs sought, a declaration that the 1st plaintiff, being an Incorporated trustee under the Company and Allied Matters Act, CAMA, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, is not subject to the control of the government of Anambra state.

“A declaration that the 2nd to 9th plaintiffs were duly and validly elected on the 20th day of November 2025 to run the affairs and administration of the1st plaintiff, in accordance with the constitution of the 1st plaintiff.

“The sum of N50,000,000 (fifty million naira) exemplary and punitive damages against the defendants, jointly and severally for acting without jurisdiction among others.”

A pre-action notice brought pursuant to Section II (2) of State Proceeding Law of Anambra State has also been duly served on the Special Assistant to the Governor of Anambra State on Markets and Parks, the Attorney General of Anambra State and the Special Adviser on Community Security/ Commander/ Agunechemba/Udo-ga-achi Joint Security Taskforce over the matter.

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