The Government Delegate to the Kumba City Council, Victor Nkelle Ngoh yesterday sealed dozens of shops at the Kumba main market in the restive South West region for trying to respect the week-long lockdown imposed by separatists.

According to reports, accompanied by security forces, the Government Delegate supervised the close down of all the shops that remained locked since Monday September 2, as a way to punish their owners for respecting the lockdown.

Added to that, Victor Nkwelle Ngoh reportedly told reporters that the businesses will be unsealed once the owners pay a fine of FCFA 25.000.

To encourage traders to reopen their shops, the Government Delegate disclosed the government had taken measures to ensure the security of the traders during this period.

The repeated lockdowns and ghost towns have been of great impact to the revenue of the economic capital of the South West region, Kumba.