•Market was peaceful until Jonathan’s arrival—Chairman
•Onyemaechi , others after my life- Jonathan

By Evelyn Usman

Ladipo Market, located in the sprawling low-class community in Mushin area of Lagos, has for some time been in the news following fighting for supremacy and control of the market by some factions in the market. The market, which was described as one of the largest spare parts markets in Africa, has unfortunately been embroiled in intermittent outbreak of violence which left several persons injured.

The violence which took its toll on the businesses of traders forced the state government, the court and the Police to use their constitutional fiats to contain the worrisome trend, particularly at the Aguiyi Ironsi International Trade Centre.

But their interventions succeeded in bringing a temporal tranquility which was truncated last month, following a renewed crisis which left scores of traders severely wounded.

At the moment, one of the traders who was severely wounded after he was stabbed in the abdomen , is still receiving treatment at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu.

The victim, Chigozie Okeke, was alleged to have been ambushed by some thugs allegedly hired by a former chairman of the centre.

Speaking on the renewed attack, chairman of Aguiyi Ironsi International Trade Centre, Cyril Onyemaechi,blamed his predecessor, Jonathan Okolie for the crisis over his refusal to vacate his position even after a court order was obtained in that regard.

Onyemaechi explained that going by the constitution of the association, the tenure of his predecessor elapsed in 2009 but that he refused to conduct an election that would usher in a new executive until 2012 when the state government intervened.

According to him : “During the seven years of his forceful stay in office, levies were imposed on members. If any member refused to pay his levy, he would unleash his thugs on them. At times, he would impose levies ranging from N11,000, N30,000 and N50,0000 on traders. If a trader has more than one shop , he would pay same amount on the number of shops he has”.

Government to the rescue

The matter according to him, was then taken to government at the state and local levels as well as the state House of Assembly.

Continuing, he said “ after a thorough investigation was conducted, the state government told Johnathan to stop parading himself as the chairman of the centre and also directed the local government to resolve the matter. One of the conditions the state government gave to the local government, was for it to run the administration of the market for one year, during which it would inaugurate an electoral committee that would conduct an election which would herald a new leadership.

The local government did this between 2013 and 2014 when I was elected as the chairman of Aguiyi Ironsi International Trade Centre, a position I held for two years before another election was conducted in 2016 during which I was re-elected. My second tenure will end by 2018″ .

Court bars predecessor

As a result of the constant crisis instigated by my predecessor, the case was taken to court and he was restrained by Justice Lateefat Okunu of Lagos High court, from parading himself as the chairman and from coming three kilometers close to the market , pending the determination of the case. He however went on appeal and the appellate court, on humanitarian ground allowed him to go back to the market to do his normal business but ordered that he should not involve himself in the administration of the association”.

Business activities at the market, according to him, went on smoothly following Jonathan’s absence from the market for four years, until his reappearance on April 12, 2017.

According to Onyeamaechi “ Before his re-appearance on April 12, 2017, there were rumours that he was training thugs who would invade the market, in order to take over its leadership. We had to write to security agencies like the Police and DSS, as well as other concerned stakeholders”.

Crime Guard gathered that when Jonathan was invited by the DSS, he denied hatching such plans, describing the petition as false and a calculated move to dent his image. He also told the operatives that he would inform them and the Police whenever he wanted to go back to the market to do business.

However, crisis broke out on the day he decided to resume at the market, an action that was alleged to have been perpetrated by some thugs.

Narrating how traders were taken unaware by the thugs said to have numbered over 500, Onyeamaechi, said “I got a call at about 6am on Wednesday, April 12 2017, that Jonathan’s boys were at the entrance of the gate to the market chanting incantations. When I got to the market, I saw some boys playing musical instrument by the entrance of the market. When I asked what they were doing, they said that they were paid to welcome Jonathan back but I told them to leave because the market is a business place.

Hours later, I received a call that Jonathan had arrived. When I went outside, I saw a crowd of over 500, none of them was a trader. I approached Jonathan and told him that I would not allow the crowd to follow him inside the market since they were not traders. I asked him to address the crowd to remain outside while he should enter into the market alone but he refused, saying that more people were still coming . While trying to make him see reason why the crowd could not go in, he pushed me. When traders asked why he did that to their chairman , he used his elephant tusk to hit one of them in the face. This triggered the crisis as his thugs who were armed went on rampage while our traders sustained varying degrees of injury “ .

Traders ambushed

The intervention of policemen from Area ‘ D, Mushin reportedly averted what would have resulted in the highest casualty ever recorded in the history of violence at the market. But the thugs were reported to have laid ambush at the Ajao estate end for traders who usually took the route. One of the traders who was oblivious of the plan walked into the ambush.

Narrating his ordeal from the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Chigozie Okeke said : “I did not know that news had already filtered into the market that the thugs had laid ambush for those taking the route, which made traders to avoid there. But as I was going, they attacked me, stabbed me in different parts of my body including my stomach. I passed out in the process, only to wake up three days later to find myself at LUTH”.

Corroborating his claim, Onyemaechi said , “ they used Chigozie Okeke as a scape goat. He was stabbed nine times in his back, the tenth stab was in his stomach, which made his intestines to shoot out. He was abandoned to bleed to death.

“Okeke was first rushed to the Isolo General hospital but was rejected because of the magnitude of his injury. We also took him to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, LASUTH, where he was also rejected . He was then taken to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH where he was admitted and remained in coma for three days. He was later transferred to UNTH, Enugu, to enable him get close to his relatives who would take care of him while on admission. As we speak, he is still in the hospital”

When Crime Guard visited the market, business activities were still ongoing but investigation revealed that some of the traders kept hard objects with which to defend themselves, in the event of any re-occurrence of violence.

Crime Guard also learned that the current chairman, Onyemaechi and secretary of the association, Mr Tony Nwazeribe were declared wanted by the Area ‘ D’ Police command, over a petition on the threat to life by their rival Jonathan.

Expressing shock over the command’s action, Onyemaechi said “to our surprise, the Police at Area D’ turned around to effect our arrest after a petition by Jonathan that we hired our members to kill him. Some policemen even came to my house by 1 am and 4am, at separate times to arrest me and my secretary . We had to flee our homes and we started sleeping in hotels. Okeke almost lost his life during the attack and was rushed to Area ‘ D’ command on that same day, only for the same police to turn around seeking our arrest, it is so disappointing “, he said. But a directive from Police High command, Abuja, as gathered, quashed the move for Onyeamachi and Nwazilibe’s arrest.

In an attempt to ensure peace, Onyemaechi informed that the state government as well as all relevant security agencies had been petitioned again , with a view to ensuring a lasting tranquility in the market.

He said “ We have been going about our businesses in peace until Jonathan resurfaced. We are peace loving traders and therefore call on the state government to intervene again. We are not saying he should not come and do business, all we are saying is that he should resume on the condition that he will allow peace to reign”.

Jonathan reacts, indicts retired CP

However, when the man at the centre of the controversy was contacted, he described claims by Onyemaechi as false, alleging that there were threats on his life.

He traced the genesis of his problem at the market to the interference of a retired female Commissioner of Police, in the affairs of the association.

Attempt by the retired senior police officer to use thugs and government officials to forcefully take over the market, was vehemently resisted while he was the association’s chairman .

Traders’ resistance according to him, led to the shut down of the market on different occasions, informing that most violence that erupted in the past was caused by thugs allegedly hired to disrupt commercial activities by the retired CP.

He further stated that his decision to stay away from the market for four years was borne out of the need to maintain peace and also for the safety of his life.

He also, stated categorically that his intention to go back to the market was not to meddle in the administration of the union but to revive his business. But he pointed out that his major bone of contention with the market was the money owed him, an amount he estimated at over N40 million.

Asked how he arrived at the figure, he said: “ It is on record that they are owing me N48 million. During the period when the female Commissioner of Police was trying to take over the market from us, we went to court. The bulk of money used to reopen the market whenever it was shut, as well as the legal fees paid to our lawyers for cases instituted against the CP was from my private pocket. It is the accumulation of money spent during that period that I am demanding for. “

Describing allegations that he came with thugs to the market on April 12, as false, Jonathan explained that he informed the police of his intention to return to the market to resume his business. But he expressed disappointment that some policemen deployed to the market disappeared in the heat of the crisis which led to his attack.

Attributing his being alive as an act of providence, Jonathan explained : “ I did not go to the market to make trouble on that day. I went to resume business because my shop has been under lock for four years. I even wrote the Commissioner of Police and the DSS of my return to the market, few days before I went.

The attack

“Upon my arrival around 11 am, some young men around Pamac spotted me and started singing my praises, to welcome me. I came out of the vehicle to embrace them. Some traders at the market also came out to greet me.

At that point, Cyril Onyemaechi, who is the present chairman, tried to block me and when I asked why , he said he would not allow me to go inside. Sensing trouble, I looked out to see if some policemen from Area ‘ D ‘ who were posted to the market for the purpose of my return, were still there , I discovered that they had left where they were supposed to be. Instead, I saw some Mobile policemen from MOPOL 22 . I tried to reach the Operation Officer at Area ‘ D ‘ to inform him of the development but he did not pick his calls. The Mobile policemen prevented me from entering the market.

As I was trying to ask Onyemaechi why he was doing all that, in spite of a court injunction for me to resume business and an earlier call and text message to him on my resumption, I saw some traders trying to form a chain. One of them broke a bottle on his own head and almost immediately, another brought out a dagger to stab me. In defence, I used my Elephant tusk to hit the man’s hand and the dagger only scratched my stomach.

I beckoned on Onyemaechi to call his boys to order , saying that I did not come for war. Just then, a member of the executive called my name, but as I turned to his direction, someone hit me with an axe on the chin , cutting it into two. At that point, the whole place was thrown into chaos, as people started hauling broken bottles and other dangerous weapons, which made people to take to their heels .As I was struggling to leave the place, one of the traders whispered to me to give him my car keys. He immediately took me inside the car and drove through Five star route which is very bad, all in a bid to ensure that I left there alive.

While at the Saint Emmanuel hospital where I was being treated, I got a call that night that there were plans to attack me there again. That prompted me to flee the hospital. I wrote to the DSS and the Area Commander ‘ D’ but the new market leaders fled when the police went for them. The next thing was for them to go to Abuja. All I want is my money. I am not interested in the politics of the market any more”.