Recall that the court had directed the state government to stop the planned relocation of timber dealers from the Okobaba Foreshore in Ebute-Metta, Lagos.
Facts have emerged on how the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s Lagos State Task Force on Monday razed approximately 2000 stalls at the Okobaba Plant Market.
SaharaReporters learnt that the Task Force together with the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency and the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) personnel acting on a directive of the state government carried out the illegal demolition.
Victims among the affected plant marketers told SaharaReporters said the move was made by the government to forcefully relocate them to Agbowa Ikosi in Lagos State, an action in contravention of the subsisting order of the Federal High Court in Lagos State.
Recall that the court had directed the state government to stop the planned relocation of timber dealers from the Okobaba Foreshore in Ebute-Metta, Lagos.
This order was given by the court on July 17, 2024, according to a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa.
Adegboruwa said the court judgement came after timber dealers, sawyers, and other stakeholders sued the government over the planned forceful eviction without a suitable alternative location.
According to eyewitnesses, the task force officials and other agencies arrived at the market on Monday and started bulldozing and setting structures on fire.
“About 2000 stalls have been damaged and all the traders affected are without offices now. We are stranded,” one of the traders told SaharaReporters.
“The demolition was done by Lagos Task Force and LASEMA officials. We saw them but we are not surprised that LASEMA wanted to act as if they didn’t know about it. They started with bulldozing but they resorted to burning the offices when the bulldozer machine could not move beyond a certain location,” another trader added.
However, the traders added that they had known the demolition would take place and this was why most of them hurriedly sold all their products before the day of the incident.
They revealed further that the reason some of the government officials are interested in forcing their relocation to Agbowa Ikosi which was to cover up the mismanagement of funds earmarked for the ongoing project in the new site.
“We, the traders, are resisting from going to the new sites because the work has stopped there. The work stopped at a very critical stage and we suspected corruption and embezzlement but some of those involved are doing everything possible to push there so that they can tax us to complete the project,” another trader revealed.
The traders added that the government agencies shot teargas and bullets during the illegal demolition when some of the affected individuals tried to stop them.
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