The Centre for Human and Socio-Economic Rights (CHSR) and traders at the Owode-Onirin Motor Spare Parts market in Lagos State have called on the Lagos State Government to investigate the demolition of over 500 shops by officials of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LABSCA).
Rights Advocate and President, Centre for Human and Socio-Economic Rights (CHSR), Alex Omotehinse, described the demolition as an illegal and wicked act targeted at impoverishing already burdened traders in the market.
Speaking at a peaceful protest on Tuesday, Omotehinse condemned the brazen act of land grabbing, noting that it violates the fundamental rights of the legitimate landowners and also poses a significant threat to the economic stability of the state.
He called on the Lagos State Government to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into the market demolition and institute a Bureau on the role of LABSCA instead of the established agency in enforcing court judgments.
He said, “Over the years, traders in the market have been law-abiding, comporting themselves in an orderly manner and have been operating and carrying out their businesses lawfully. On Thursday, 6th of March, 2025, men and officers of the Lagos State Building Control Agency, along with armed policemen and thugs armed with various dangerous weapons, invaded the market with the aim of carrying out an enforcement of a certain court judgment against a section of the market that is the Agbajowo market that shares a common boundary with the Owode Onirin Motor spare part market.
It is a known fact that for some years there has been a legal battle over the ownership of the land where the Agbajowo market was situated and there is no discrepancy on the boundary, but to our dismay, LABSCA stormed into our market in a gestapo manner with a retinue of unofficial men to demolish more than 500 shops in a jiffy.
Also, the Association Chairman, Comrade Abiodun Hammed, lost his three shops to the illegal demolition. Therefore, it sounds somehow if truly the police from the FCID can make such a statement when they fail to arrest the non-state actors engaged by LABSCA to carry out this wicked act of demolition. The market serves as a vital hub in ensuring access to spare parts for countless families and providing livelihoods for numerous traders. A thorough and full investigation must be conducted to identify and prosecute those responsible for the illegal demolition of Owode Onirin motor spare marketers.”
Chairman of the market, Comrade Abiodun Hammed, appealed for calm and urged the traders to shun violence in their pursuit of justice.
He said, “This market belongs to the Lagos State Government and not an individual. There is no court injunction, neither do we have any court case with any family or individuals. We were here last Thursday when officials of LABSCA invaded the market with an excavator. They beat us and began to demolish our shops. They did this without any form of notice to us. There was no prior notice to quit or evacuate our wares. We are appealing to President Bola Tinubu and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to come to our aid and stop the destruction.”
Also speaking at the protest, former Secretary of the market, Olamilekan Akinpelu, said the plan to demolish the market was hatched in 2014 but was averted with the intervention of the council chairman at the time.
He said, “The demolition has been lingering on for so many years which traders have been averting. In 1979, the then Governor of the State, Alhaji Lateef Jakande, relocated traders from Jankara market and since then we have been trading here peacefully and legitimately, but it came to us as a surprise that our leaders are among those that are behind our ordeals.
This crisis began in 2014 with the late Chairman of Agboyin Ketu who brought in thugs to shut down the market. We staged a protest to the Lagos State House of Assembly under the leadership of the Rt. Hon, Taiwo Kolawole, he intervened and the demolition was stopped. We are peaceful and law-abiding Yoruba traders. We have been helpful to the cause of the ruling party since the days of NADECO and the June 12 struggle. We were the foot soldiers during the struggle for the realisation of the June 12 mandate. I’m appealing to President Bola Tinubu to intervene and save us from destruction.
We voted for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). We didn’t vote for the APC to ruin our trade and businesses. We are now being prosecuted by security agents who are supposed to be protecting us. Our chairman was attacked and macheted and banned by the police from entering the market until the matter is resolved. This shouldn’t be. We are appealing to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to intervene and stop this wicked act of demolition of our shops.”
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