Dismal Xmas for Ladipo traders

By Ifeanyi Okoli

…as thugs attacked, looted shops

Pandemonium broke out at the popular Ladipo market, Lagos on the eve of Christmas after over 100 hoodlums allegedly invaded the Aguiyi Ironsi International Trade Centre and unleashed terror on defenceless traders, injuring over 20 persons  while shops and other makeshift stalls were looted.

Crime Alert was reliably informed that the incident which marred the Christmas celebration for most of the traders, who hurriedly locked up their shops and flee for safety attracted some policemen from the Area D police Command, the operations department of the State Command and operatives of the Rapid Responds Squad (RSS) who promptly responded and restored normalcy.

Meanwhile, eyewitness told Crime Alert that the hostility started when an estranged president of the association allegeldy stormed the market with over 50 thugs to snatch control of the market from a crop of caretaker committee formed by the state and Mushin Local Government, to over see affairs of the market.

A member of the committee simply identified as Umohia, who spoke with Crime Alert on the incident said the, erstwhile president of the market association had refused to relinquish power in the market association and when some trader stood up against him, he resolved to intimidating traders in the market with thugs and some uniformed persons suspected to be policemen.

According to him, “The president was elected in 2009 and his tenure was expected to expire by 2009. But in 2009, he amended the constitution with a view to perpetuating himself in office for one more year. But he refused to conduct an election afterwards to usher in new exco.

However, while this was on, we went through his record and discovered that over 65million have been embezzled by his administration. The said money was what he collected from traders for the Local Government and after the expiration of his tenure, it was discovered that this money was not remitted to the local government. Even sources from the Local

Alkali, CP, Lagos State

government informed us that they only saw N1million.

But after all this, our ex-president did not allow us to have any peace as he kept on harassing us with people suspected to be police and thugs he recruited from various parts of the country to fight his cause. They attacked us at will and looted our shops. We complained to the local government but nothing meaningful has come out it. Later on Friday, he came back with his thugs and attacked us. He claimed he had the backing of two Deputy Inspectors- General of Police from the Igbo extraction to reclaim the market.”

Meanwhile, when Crime Alert contacted the estranged president, Mr. Jonathan Okoli, he denied all the accusation but claimed that it was the overwhelming wish of the entire traders in the market for him to continue as Presidnet following his good leadership quality. According to him “I am not trying to impose myself on the traders in any way rather the traders want me to rule.

There is no doubt that I was elected into office in 2007, but it was the mandate of the traders that I should register the market association at the corporate affairs and then help amend the constitution. But In 2010, that is, after the constitution had been successfully amended and ready for adoption, some traders got aggrieved and refused to adopt the constution. They accused me of fraud in a constitution that has gone through first and second reading by a constitution drafting committee that was formed by the association, and then they started fighting me.

“They took me to the State Security Service SSS, where they accused me of gun running and other offences. They even took me to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission EFCC where they also alleged I embezzled some money. But in that case of EFCC, I told them that I didn’t embezzle any money, because the levy I collected from the traders was remitted to the local government.

“I collected over 12million from the traders in 2009 to 2010 and they were all remitted to the local government. While in the EFCC, I challenged them to get local government officials that collected money from me to account for the money collected.

But I also have to state emphatically that I am not planning to perpetuate myself as life president but peace can only return to the market and a free and fair election conducted to usher in new exco if they withdraw all the suits against me in court. I told them at the State Security Service and several other places they have taken me to over this matter that I will conduct election when there are no more law suits against me.”