24th February, 2016
Cyriacus Izuekwe
For the past one week, there has been tension and violence at Odo-Aladura section of Ladipo motor spare parts market following a failed attempt to demolish over 2,000 shops in the market in Mushin, Lagos State, western Nigeria.
Fracas broke out at the market after hundreds of thugs invaded the market with arms and two caterpillars and attacked the traders and attempted to demolish shops there.
The traders who were caught unawares fought back the thugs and chased them away after many were injured on both sides.
P.M.NEWS gathered that the thugs were allegedly led by a man well known to the traders.
During the fracas many traders including the thugs sustained injuries and are in several hospitals in Lagos receiving treatment.
One of the injured traders is Anene Otasi who is still lying in critical condition at the University of Lagos Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi Araba, where doctors are battling to remove pellets from his body following the gun shot wounds he sustained.
Since the incident happened, the thugs who felt defeated, insisted that they would return on reprisal attack any time and to burn down the market.
The threat is causing tension in the market and its environs.
The Chairman of Odo-Aladura Traders Association, Mr Maxwell Uroko, who confirmed the attack said they were shocked about what happened.
He said the thugs invaded the market with weapons, shooting indiscriminately.
Uroko said many traders were attacked with machetes and suffered gun shot wounds.
He said the leader of thugs brought caterpillars for the exercise and ordered the drivers to demolish the structures with traders’ goods inside the shops.
He said when the traders could not bear the attacks and intimidation, they resisted and chased them away after they had inflicted injuries on many of the traders.
Uroko appealed to both the Mushin LG and State Government to call the leader of the thugs to order as he goes about boasting that the government was behind him and using it to harass and intimidate traders.
When our reporter visited the market, there was tension as some traders shut their shops and armed themselves with their cutlasses and machetes, waiting for the thugs and their leader to come back for the reprisal attack they promised.
Many traders stayed away from the market while some of them said they were prepared for the fight and opened their shops.
P.M.NEWS gathered that the cause of the fight was a lingering land tussle between Owoyemi family and Odo-Aladura community over the ownership of the land the traders rented.
It was gathered that Owoyemi family won at the Lagos State High Court but the judgment was immediately appealed and the case is still pending at the court.
P.M.NEWS gathered that since the case is pending in court, the traders had refused to pay rents to either parties pending the conclusion of the matter at the court.
It was at this point that thugs were allegedly hired to enforce the court judgment by attempting to demolish the shops.