Traders at the Owode-Onirin Motor Spare Parts Market in Lagos State have appealed to the Federal Government to intervene in, and thoroughly investigate, the demolition of their market, which they alleged was deliberately carried out by the Lagos State Government in what they described as a high-level conspiracy.
The appeal was made on Wednesday during a media briefing organised by the traders to respond to comments attributed to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Olohunwa Ishola, during his visit to the market on January 28, where the demolition was reportedly blamed on the activities of land grabbers.
At the briefing, Abiodun Akeem Ariori strongly rejected claims linking him to land grabbing, insisting that he is a law-abiding citizen and challenging the police commissioner to present any evidence implicating him in such activities.
Speaking on behalf of the traders, a member of the market committee, Abiodun Hameed, said the description of the incident as the handiwork of land grabbers did not align with facts and documents available to the traders.
He maintained that the demolition was not a criminal act by private individuals but an operation carried out by agencies of the Lagos State Government.
Hameed explained that the Owode-Onirin Motor Spare Parts Market had existed for over six decades and was officially relocated to its present location in 1979 by a former Lagos State governor after the tradersā previous site was acquired for public use.
According to him, traders at the market have consistently operated peacefully and complied with government regulations, including the payment of taxes and levies to authorised government agents.
āWe have remained law-abiding citizens, carrying out our trading activities peacefully and paying all dues and taxes to government agents,ā Hameed said.
He also alleged that attempts to demolish the market began about two years ago during the tenure of Dele Osinowo as Chairman of the Agboyi-Ketu Local Council Development Area, LCDA, prompting the traders to commence processes to secure formal ownership documents for the land.
The traders also alleged that the demolition exercise involved multiple state agencies, including the Lagos State Building Control Agency, LASBCA, the Lagos State Task Force, the Kick Against Indiscipline, KAI, as well as operatives of the Nigerian Army and the Police, with a heavy deployment of armed security personnel.
They claimed that after the demolition, Ariori allegedly appeared at the site with armed individuals to secure the land, adding that an ensuing attack on traders led to the death of six persons.
The traders expressed concern that no government official had publicly condemned the alleged killings and said repeated peaceful protests to the Lagos State House of Assembly had not yielded any response.
They, therefore, urged the Federal Government to step in to protect their means of livelihood, ensure an impartial investigation into the demolition and alleged killings, and allow them to continue their legitimate business activities without intimidation.
Lagos: Traders seek Nigerian govt intervention over demolition of spare parts market
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