TheCable

Some human rights activists will gather in Imo state on September 9 to protest the killings that occurred during the demolition of a popular market in the state.

Last week, three people were killed when security operatives tried to restore order after some traders protested the demolition of the market.

In a statement on Monday, the activists rejected the decision of the Imo government to demolish the market.

“Since May 2015, an unceasing string of demolition exercises has raged through the state in the name of urban renewal,” Space for Change, one of the groups, said in a statement.

“From Wetheral to Douglas Road, to Ikenegbu, to Aladinma, to Orji Road, to Amakohia, to Akwakuma, and many other locations, agony and massive human suffering trail these inhumane exercises.

“The majority of the demolition exercises occurred in defiance of court orders as well as pending litigation before the court of law. In September 2016, Eke-Ukwu Market traders approached the court for justice.”

Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), another group, described the demolition of the market as an act of executive “lawlessness that should be unacceptable to all who believe in democracy and rule of law”.