Lone Walk To Justice: Ebhojie Travail

"Hello oo, hello oo", is one loud scream that usually draw passersby attention at the popular Mission road junction, Oba Ovoramwen square in Benin city, the Edo state capital, adjacent the State's intra city temporary bus terminal.

Many who have one or two activities to do in the city centre, especially around Oba market, Urhokpota hall, the National Museum, and bus terminal will attest to this Helloo o sound that has become a recurring decimal within these areas. The scream is not emanating from a record player, neither from a trader (or hawker) trying to woo prospective buyers to his or her wares, but that of a man holding a placard like a town crier mandated to announce the commencement of popular annual festival.

The placard with various inscriptions like, "Solidarity 4 hawkers welfare in prisons", "Bring back our belongings", "average of 10 hawkers go to prison daily", "1 Nig?", "we shall overcome. Edo/Lagos states", is used by the man to create awareness on the plight of hawkers and street traders whose goods has been confiscated and the owners sometimes imprisoned or compelled to pay a fine.

When this writer met the man at his usual spot, he simply identified himself as Mr. Ebhojie Agbonselobhor, from Esan South East local government area of Edo, and one of those affected by the Lagos State government enforcement against street trading and Hawking, especially in Urban centres.

This writer recalled with mist feelings that Lagos state had on July 1st in 2016 commenced the enforcement of its Street Trading and Illegal Market Prohibition Law, 2003, which prescribes a six-month jail term or a punishment of N90, 000 fine, for both seller and buyer and of any goods or services on the streets.

The Punch Newspaper had on 7th MAY 2018 published a photograph  of this protester (Credited to Alexandar Okere) on it website, captioned, "an unidentified man staging a lone protest over the alleged harassment and arrest of hawkers by security agencies in Edo and Lagos States in Benin on Monday".

Though some analysts applauded Governor Akinwunmi Ambode's-led administration for the enforcement, others however condemned the move including states government whose indigenes were arrested due to the development as well as civil society groups which viewed the action as anti people.

However, after numerous arrest and trials in the former federal capital territory where he escaped imprisonment while others either serve jail terms or pay the fine, the father of one decided to continue with what he described 'was a feasibility studies on the use of selfie-sticks, the Nigerian flag and cash flow', an activity he said the taskforce mistook for Hawking.

Mr. Agbonselobhor who narrated how he was into 'volunteering' of fixing failed potions of 2nd Ugbo road in Benin before his "feasibility studies" sojourn in Lagos, alleged that while on a visit back home in Edo sometime in 2017 he was 'attacked' by officials of Public Works Volunteers (PUWOV), who apparently mistook him for a hawker due to his posture with the materials he is using to conduct the 'feasibility studies' and a briefcase (containing valuables) which he said was ceased from him by the attackers.

"It was after numerous arrests in Lagos and the attack in Edo by the PUWOV guys that i decided to start a peaceful protest to call for the return of my belongings, in the same time in solidarity with hawkers and traders that have been arrested and taken to prison sometimes without an option of fine or fair hearing."

The lone protester said in one of his peaceful protest in February this year (2018) at Ring Road (Oba Ovoramwen square) he was arrested and was detained by PUWOV officials at Urhokpota hall before he was tried at a mobile court for Hawking without 'fair hearing' and option of fine, and was sent to prison where he was incarcerated "with hardened criminals".

Mr. Agbonselobhor denied ever Hawking or involve in street trading activities, and vowed never to relent with his peaceful protest despite "incessant attacks and threat to his life" by PUWOV officials until he gets justice.

"I was not Hawking, but they refuse to give me fair hearing before sending me to prison. 

I wish to sue them to court because they need to tell me why i was apprehended,

"Even with my placard at Akpakpava junction on 9th of April 2018 months after regaining my freedom, these PUWOV officials tortured me to the point of death, but members of the public saved my life. That day, it was now between them and the public".

Commentators have argued that governments at all levels ought to create alternatives for the hawkers and street traders before get­ting them off the streets, an argument many supported due to the harsh economic climate in the country even when the responsibility of governments globally is to preserve law and order.

However, the Edo Clean-up exercise headed by Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Osarodion Ogie, was amongst other things, to restore sanity and eliminated chaos in Benin City, but not to oppress, intimidate, harrass or infringe on the rights of citizens.

"I went to Edo state House of Assembly more than two occasions with my placard, where I spent hours singing solidarity songs, and to my surprise they drove me away calling me abusive names".

Though the cleanup project has lived up to its purpose, as observed in areas such as Oba Ovoramwen square, New Benin, Aduwawa, Uselu, Santana, Oliha, Third Junction, Oka markets etc, it was gathered that not all traders and hawkers can afford to pay the high rates of 'empty' space in these markets, as the total cost of some Sellers (Hawkers/traders) wares may not be able to pay a week rent.

"I will soon print a banner with the two state governors pictures, then take my peaceful protest to Abuja as I am doing in Edo and Lagos states. 

I want to draw the attention of the appropriate authorities so that if the government of Nigeria will not give me justice, the European Union and UN will. I need justice".

States that chose to restore sanity to urban Centres should always consider citizens who may have migrated from the rural or suburban areas in search of 'greener pastures' as there is no economic opportunity in their communities to keep them back and afloat.

However in a telephone conversation, the PUWOV Coordinator, Mukhtar Yusuf-Osagie described the lone protester as a "psychiatrically derailed" man, while he accused the writer of granting the Justice seeker audience.

Yusuf-Osagie said, "does that Man look well to you? That man have psycho problem, we have arrested that man for street trading for more than Six times, a competent mobile court have sentence him for more than three times, and the man still comes to Ring Road.

The head of the agency set up by Edo state government added, "he has assaulted my number two, we have a case before him at the Oba market police station, just that we do not want to charge him, the government said we should not charge him because he have a psycho problem."

Section 14, (Subsection 2b) of the 1999 constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria (as amended) states that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government, a potion in the nation's grand norm that the political class has failed overtime to uphold even when they swore on oath to do so, thereby creating problems for a section of the society.