Gadget dealers in Calabar, Cross River State, staged a protest on Wednesday over the loss of more than N700 million due to a series of burglary attacks in the last three months.
The protesters, carrying placards with bold messages such as “Business can’t thrive in an unsafe environment” and “Our gadget shops are shutting down,” called on the government to address the rising insecurity affecting their businesses.
Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Mr. Paschal Obi revealed that at least seven shops had been broken into, causing massive losses. He stated that most of the affected business owners had taken bank loans to run their shops and were now struggling to survive.
“Over N700 million is gone. We’re barely surviving. The government must step in and secure our businesses,” Obi said.
Some shop owners, including George Nwosu and Benjamin Okro, shared their painful experiences. Nwosu’s shop was targeted twice in 2024, while Okro suffered back-to-back robberies last December, losing goods worth N400 million.
“I don’t know how to move forward,” Nwosu lamented. “I have loans to pay, and my stock is gone.”
The Public Relations Officer of the Cross River State Police Command, SP Irene Ugbo, confirmed that investigations into the burglaries were ongoing. She assured the protesters that a stationary patrol team would be deployed to the affected areas to strengthen security.
“We understand the concerns of the business owners,” SP Ugbo said. “Our team is working hard to find those responsible, and we will increase our patrol efforts.”
The gadget dealers have urged the authorities to take immediate action, warning that continued insecurity could force many more businesses to shut down.
