Onion traders at the Kwadaso Market are refusing to start trading activities at a new market after they were forcefully ejected on Monday by the Ashanti Regional Security Council.
The affected traders are to relocate their businesses to Atwima Techiman, but none of them had reported to the new place when the news team visited on Tuesday.
Less 24 hours after they were asked to evacuate the old Kwadaso market, onion traders are now occupying the shoulders of the road near the old market to ply their wares.
They argue the new market cannot contain them.
“That place can’t contain us all. So, we do not want to go there and create any confusion or inconvenience. We were working on 16 plots but have been relocated to 8 plots. So, we are waiting for what next our leaders will tell us to do”, a trader, Abdullah Issah stressed.
They also fear a possible eviction in the coming years after suffering similar fate when they were moved from the Alabar market.
The traders are pushing for a spacious land they can own and trade on without concerns over future ejection.
“We don’t want to be relocated to where we will still be asked to leave after some years.
“We were told this place (Kwadaso) was a market land and we won’t be evicted and now they’re telling us to leave. So, we want to get our own land and do our business on it. That way we will be safe”, a trader, Mohammed Jibril indicated.
The onion traders were relocated to racecourse market from Alabar before being moved again to Kwadaso in 2011. Now, they’ve been asked to relocate to Atwima Takyiman.
The Kwadaso Onion Market has now been cordoned to prevent people from accessing the area.
Secretary to the onion trader’s association, Umar Abdulai says leadership of the traders is working to secure a permanent location to avoid future evictions.
“We are looking at securing a place of our own. We don’t want to go to anyplace we don’t have control over the land”, Secretary to the onion traders, Umar Abdulai said.
Whilst some of them take over the streets and other unauthorized places, others were awaiting their leadership for the next line of action.