18th November, 2022
Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
The hope of people of Port Harcourt and its environs to buy cheap items during the Black Friday sale at SPAR Market have been dashed with a court order obtained by Rivers State Government.
PM NEWS gathered that Rivers State Government secured an interim injunction restraining SPAR, the occupier of Port Harcourt Mall from going ahead with the Black Friday Sales scheduled to begin from today 18th of November to 27th of November, 2022.
Our correspondent gathered that trouble for the SPAR Market that shares a common fence with Rivers State Government House, Port Harcourt, started when the State Commissioner for Environment and his directors were allegedly stopped from inspecting the Health, Safety and Environment,HSE, of the facility.
The government officials had allegedly wanted to inspect the facilities to check the readiness of SPAR for the Black Friday sales.
The State Government is said to be interested in the measures put in place for crowd control at the facility.
It was learnt that the State Ministry Ministry of Environment had written to the SPAR management that its officials were coming for an inspection.
But it was learnt that the officials were not present to conduct the Commissioner and his Directors round their facility when they arrived.
The 2021 Black Friday sales of Spar attracted a huge crowd which nearly became uncontrollable due to slash in prices.
In the interim order, Magistrate A.O Amadi-Nna restrained the Spar Market, its agent servant and or Privies from further obstructing Rivers State commissioner for Environment and his staff from assessing the SPAR facilities.
Furthermore, the Magistrate ordered that the Commissioner for Environment and his staff are to be allowed access to the SPAR facilities for the purpose of evaluating the Environmental Health and Safety, HSE, equipment, aimed at preventing and environmental harm, likely to be cause by the Spar Market on the citizenry in Rivers State during and after the scheduled Spar Black Friday event.
The matter has been adjourned till, 12th of December, 2022 for hearing.
According to the interim order secured by the State Government as filed by the Attorney-General of Rivers State against SPAR Market, the occupier of Port Harcourt Mall, the Spar, it’s agent, servant and or Privies are restrained from conducting or holding the SPAR Black Friday Sales scheduled to told from 18th to 27th of November, 2022 pending the determination of the suit.
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