Traders have peacefully demonstrated by closing down all their shops because of rampant looting of their goods in Torit market.
A business man, Sansa Moses says the incident has been happening for many times, but no action taken.
He says he is among the people whose shop has been robbed, where solar panels, phone and some amount of money were taken.
‘Actually, it was yesterday in the morning when I got a phone call that my shop was opened. When I reached there, I got the thieves have broken in. It has affected me so much. They searched everywhere until they took two power panels, one phone and one radio Speaker, plus some amount of money. This incident has been happening for so many times within the market. People have been reporting the issue to police, but there has been no any step taken until today. That’s why traders have to demonstrate peacefully by locking our shops and move away.’
Another business trader, Mohammed Musa wonders how doors are broken into, when the security personnel are guarding the market.
‘We are working here selling clothes but there is something strange happening here. Breaking of doors, shops breaking, shops are being broken which is not good. There are thieves. Last week, there was shop was broken and today also. Its happening every day. There are police personnel, guarding the market, but we don’t know if they are really guarding or they are sleeping, yet these same police people come and collect money from us at the end of the month. I don’t know where this money is going when they are not guarding our shops.’
Meanwhile Mama Aida, a business woman regrets that Torit Municipal Council usually collects money monthly for security, but there is no proper protection given at night hours.
She says taxes should be reduced since it is not properly used.
‘Municipal Council is always collecting money from us for security and what we are seeing is that, it is not helping us because the thieves are breaking our shops all the time. The council should reduce the money collected for security because they are not helping us’.
Chamber of Commerce Secretary General in Torit State says losing business items is so painful.
He calls for assurance on their security in the market before operating their shops.
‘If any one of us loses business, it’s so painful. What we want is only security and nothing else. The security must be provided and that is what we want. There is nothing much we are asking as the government has promised us on Friday that everything will be in place and the Mayor herself also promised that shops will not be broken again. So this was the strongest assurance we heard from her but we need that assurance to be seen and continues to be seen in the market’.
The business traders made the remarks in an inclusive interview on Tuesday.