Traders and residents of Ibaa community in Emohua Local Government Area have expressed joy following the directive of the council chairman, Sir Chidi Lloyd, to reopen the Ahia Otukpo market, which had remained under lock months after its commissioning by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The facility was shut due to a lingering land dispute among families claiming ownership of the site. The closure had forced traders to display their wares along the Ibaa–Obelle road, resulting in traffic obstruction.
On Monday, Lloyd ordered the immediate reopening of the market and summoned the disputing parties to a meeting with the council to resolve the ownership crisis and ensure a transparent allocation of stalls.
Residents and traders, who trooped into the market, described the development as a relief and commended the council boss for his intervention.
Lloyd, in a statement by his press secretary, Bright Jossy-Elendu, thanked the Ibaa community for complying with the directive and urged other communities facing similar disputes to embrace dialogue and peace in order to attract investments and development under his administration’s Greater Emolga Continuity and Consolidation Agenda.
