Meanwhile, following the incident, the ever-busy Texaco has been deserted.
The Enugu State task force enforcing the government’s ban on the activities of plastic and iron scavengers has shot dead a scraps dealer and injured another person.
SaharaReporters gathered on Thursday, that Governor Peter Mbah's task force shot dead the trader when he and others resisted them from confiscating their multi-millionaire worth of goods in their depot at Abakpa Texaco in Enugu East local government area of the state.
The incident happened on Tuesday.
An eyewitness who gave her name as Oluchi, told SaharaReporters that the task force set up to stop the activities of scavengers stormed the scraps dealers depot in Abakpa Texaco on Tuesday afternoon.
"They came with two trucks to load the scraps the traders had genuinely bought with their hard-earned money including unused vehicles. So these traders refused to let go their businesses. Moreover, there was no court order to confiscate their legitimate businesses.
"The traders told them that even if the government had scavengers from the streets of Enugu State, they were not scavengers. And more so, they were not given any order to vacate their business environment, so why carry trucks to come to confiscate their legitimate businesses without any crime known to law in Nigeria."
Oluchi, further stated that "while the traders were resisting the attempt to confiscate their goods, policemen attached to them started shooting sporadically and shooting teargas canisters on the traders. Unfortunately, they shot dead one of the traders and one other person, a mechanic. Some people said he is still alive but his condition is very critical in the hospital."
Some residents of the Abakpa Texaco also collaborated with Oluchi's account, further stating that the killing triggered a riot which led to the burning of police vehicles and vehicles the task force came with.
They wondered why a government task force would invade somebody's business to confiscate their legitimate means of livelihood when there was no law forbidding them from scrap trading.
"If you think that some of them are buying stolen items, you promulgate a law banning the business in Enugu. You don't confiscate people's businesses and sell them without any legal reasons. That is criminal. This administration of Governor Peter Mbah did those things with impunity."
Meanwhile, following the incident, the ever-busy Texaco has been deserted.
Reacting in a statement, Governor Peter Mbah's media office issued, described the incident as a clash between scavengers and the task force team members.
According to the statement, the task force was trying to prevent the loading of suspected stolen and vandalised items into trailers to their illicit buyers.
The Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, had at a meeting with leaders and representatives of Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa/Fulani communities in January restated the government's ban on the operations of scavengers, warning that defaulters would be prosecuted.
"He said the ban followed numerous petitions by members of the public against the activities of the illegal waste merchants, revealing that enforcement of the ban, arrest, and prosecution of violators would commence on Monday, 29 January 2024, as some scavengers were associated with housebreaking and stealing.
“The government will no longer condone the activities of scavengers in the state. We have to rid the state of every vestige of crimes by restoring sanity. We want to assure all residents in the state who are into genuine business that we will continue to work towards making the environment safer for them.
“You will recall that sometime in November 2023, after reports from residents complaining about harassment and theft from scavengers and illegal waste pickers, the government set up a committee to assess the extent of the threats scavengers posed to the wellbeing of our law-abiding citizens.
“It was established that criminals are now roaming the streets posing as scavengers. Following this establishment, the government activated Section 20 of the Enugu State Environmental Law, that provides against scavenging activities by outlawing these illegal operators,” Onyia stated.
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