The wife of the immediate past governor of Benue state, Gabriel Suswam narrowly escaped death by stoning in Abuja, on Sunday, October 18, following an attack by traders.
Daily Post reports that Yemisi Suswam was held hostage for hours by some traders who accused her of conniving with the authorities of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) in extorting money from them and denying them access to the shops they duly paid for.
Investigations reveal that the traders in question had made payments for shops at the Wuye ultra modern market, but were denied access to their shops.
Chief Ifeanyi Ezejim, the chairman of association of Wuye ultra modern market allottees said, the traders paid various amounts of money ranging from N2,000 to N8,000 as allocation fee to the FCDA.
According to Ezejim, the protest was informed by the order of an Abuja High Court, which had asked the FCDA to declare the statutory fees for the shops, an order which was not carried out by the FCDA.
The chairman charged the FCDA authorities to give the traders the statutory fees which would allow them pay and move into their shops as to begin business in earnest.
He said: “We have gone to the FCDA and they did not say that we have no allocation here.
“They did not say we did not pay for allocation of shops here even though we are hearing rumour here now that FCDA said that we did not pay anything.
“We are telling them here that ‘give us the statutory fee so that we pay and continue our businesses’.
“The court has even told the FCDA that give these people the statutory fees so that they can pay and they are not ready to do it.
“We have so far paid what is required of us but we are talking of the statutory fees now.”
Yemisi Suswam is allegedly the major financier of the All Purpose Shelter Development Company, a firm which reportedly developed the market.
It would be recalled that in 2011, a report by Sahara reporters claimed that Mrs. Suswam duped Benue Women-Premier Magazine.
The allegation was based on an investigation by the Premier, in which the ex-first lady of Benue state allegedly mismanaged certain funds meant for the hosting of the fifth edition of celebrate Benue women.
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