Enugu businessmen plying their trade along Red Cross Railway Crossing, Market Road and Osisatech Polytechnic, who were given quit notice by the state government, have protested their eviction.

They urged the state government to reconsider its decision to douse the tension generated and prevent backlash.

The state government in an effort to ease traffic along Main Market-Old Park-Chris Chemist stretch in Enugu had decided to construct a flyover in the area and, therefore, issued 14 days ultimatum for those doing business in the area to relocate.

But rising from their meeting in Enugu, yesterday, the businessmen kicked against what they termed a “forceful eviction order” by the state government, saying they were no squatters or trespassers in the area as they had legally acquired the affected area from the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), the original owners.

In a statement after their meeting, signed by David Johnson Anayo, Clement Madichie, Emeka Ezenwa, George Ibekendu and Onyebuchi Mgbemene, they claimed most of them had been living and doing business in Enugu from their youth and had never had any friction with the government and people of Enugu.
The statement reads: “As of the time some of us acquired the land, the entire place was a bush area housing kidnappers and all sorts of criminals. We put in our resources to develop the area and in the process got rid of the criminals operating there.”

Insisting that the 14 days ultimatum to remove their business buildings was unfair, they said it would have been different if the government had provided them with an alternative place of business, which they could have considered.