The Market Traders Association of Nigeria (MATAN) has appealed to the state and Federal Governments to release some of its members arrested during the #EndSARS protest which was hijacked by hoodlums.
The President of MANTAN, Alhaji Jamilu Abbas made the appeal while speaking in an interview in Abuja on Thursday.
Abbas said some traders, who were moving their goods from one part of the country to another to sell, were caught in between the crisis and were arrested and detained.
He noted that the plea became necessary because the detained traders were hardworking and contributing their quota to the economy of the country.
He, however, stated that the activities of hoodlums during the #EndSARS protest had wreaked a lot of havoc on members, who were already affected by the impact of COVID-19 pandemic.
According to him, before the #EndSARS protest, the impact of COVID-19 pandemic had forced a lot of traders out of business.
The president, however, pleaded with the government to compensate the affected traders, with a view to supporting them to bounce back.
Meanwhile, Abbas also enjoined the Federal Government to find a lasting solution to the plight of Nigerian traders in Ghana, whose shops were destroyed while others were shut down.
He appealed to the Minister of Foreign Affairs not to relent in efforts at resolving the misunderstanding between Nigerian traders and the Ghanaian authorities.
He emphasised the need for the Foreign Affairs Minister to sit with the Ghanaian Ambassador to Nigeria and have robust engagement with him with a view to resolve the matter once and for all.
The president noted that the action of Ghanaian authorities was not in conformity with the ECOWAS treaty which allowed free trade among member countries.
He insisted that Nigerians in Ghana should be allowed to do their lawful businesses, just as Ghanaians and other foreigners were allowed to carry out their legitimate business activities in the country without hindrance.