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 for the wrong reason due to the disturbance of public peace by some warring factions fighting over supremacy and control of the market. Described as one of the largest spare parts market in Africa, Ladipo has unfortunately been embroiled in violence which left several persons injured. At the root of this intermittent outbreak of violence is a supremacy struggle for control of the market by members of some rival associations.

Members of the new executive of the market

Unfortunately, the unabating orgy of violence has continued to take its toll on the businesses of most of the traders there. Indeed, reports have it that many customers have been giving the market a wide berth due to fear of falling victim to the fracas that has become common place there.

Of particular mention is the Aguiyi Ironsi International Trade Centre which has become prone to crisis. Vanguard Features, VF, learnt that the situation recently attracted the attention of the Lagos State Government.

Genesis of crises

The crisis in this section of the market was traced to an alleged refusal by members of the then executive council to leave office,even after the expiration of their tenure in 2007. The crisis reportedly lingered, thereby forcing the state government to issue a threat to shut down the place if a truce was not reached. It was on account of this that a Police patrol van has been stationed at the entrance of the market till date, apparently to forestall any possible break down of law and order.

VF was recently informed that traders were being attacked by thugs allegedly hired by the present executive. When approached, the Chairman of Aguiyi Ironsi International Trade Centre Traders Association, Mr Cyril Onyemaechi described the claim as false. He boasted that the era of crisis in the section is over. According to him, there has been no record of fracas in the complex in the last eight months. Onyemaechi reiterated his administration’s resolve to ensure that peace and tranquility reigned in the section .

He recalled, however, that before his administration took over, “ there were series of crises which forced the state government, through the Mushin Local Government Area, the Police and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to intervene. This was because the past leader of the association refused to leave even after the expiration of his tenure”.

Litigation to settle rift

Lending a voice to the chairman’s explanation, the Association’s General Secretary, Mr. Anthony Nwazelibe, explained that although he was a member of the former executive council, he was beaten to a pulp by thugs allegedly hired by leader of the then association for urging him to vacate office.

His words: “ I served in the last administration. We were meant to serve a two-year-term but when it expired, the chairman refused to leave office. That was the beginning of the crisis in the market. Some of us who knew what it meant for one’s tenure to expire, vacated our seats. But the chairman hand-picked some people to fill the vacancy. He did not stop there.

He moved straight to Ebute Metta Magistrate Court 8, Botanical Garden, to institute a case against us and to obtain an injunction barring us from disturbing him for another one year, so that he would accomplish that which he wanted. But after going through the court papers, the learned Magistrate discovered that our tenure was over and consequently ordered that the chairman should stop parading himself as chairman of the association.

The court further ruled that a 13- man caretaker committee should take over the administration of the section of the market pending the termination of the case in court. “ Feeling aggrieved over the ruling, he went ahead to write a petition against the Magistrate and the matter was reassigned to another Magistrate for continuity. But instead of the Magistrate to continue with the case, he said the matter should start afresh.

A petition against the Magistrate was made before Justice Oyebanji of the High Court of Lagos State. After studying the matter, she reinstated the order made by the learned Magistrate, May Igbokwe, that Jonathan Okolie should stop parading himself as the chairman of the market. “Not long after the ruling, thugs invaded the market. Some of us escaped death by the whiskers when the thugs struck.

I was thoroughly beaten and was subsequently hospitalised for a month. Some people lost their fingers, some suffered partial loss of hearing as a result of the beating. So many people were injured. In fact, on getting to the market then, you will think it was a war zone. You would see cutlasses, different weapons which they used to attack people.

Petitions OPD

“The immediate past administration also petitioned the Office of the Public Defender,OPD, to intervene. In response, it (the OPD) used the Ministry of Environment to carry out its investigation and when the OPD report was eventually released, every other party signed but the chairman of the then administration refused to sign . Instead, he accused the OPD of partiality .

Again, he went to the Lagos State House of Assembly to complain and the House set up a committee headed by one Hon. Agunbiade to look into the issue. At the end of the day, the House of Assembly released its report which empowered the Mushin Local Government Area to conduct an election since the tenure of that government had expired.

“Based on that, the Mushin Local Government came and inaugurated a nine-man caretaker committee comprising three traders, three representatives of the developers – Paramo Development Ventures Limited and three others from the local government, to organise the election. The government was in place for about one year after which an election was conducted and Cyril Onyemachi was elected as the chairman of Aguiyi International Trade Centre, Mr Festus Obinani as Vice chairman, myself as the general secretary, with other members of executive.

Since then there has been peace in the market”. VF further learnt that before the current executives came on board, the case was taken to the Senate Committee on Police Affairs where members of the committee reportedly urged the traders to go and make peace since the tenure of the previous executive had expired. Other petitions were written to the Force Criminal Investigation Department, FCID, Abuja which allegedly asked the former executive to tread the path of peace since their tenure had expired.

Asked why the previous chairman’s shops were still under lock and key, in spite of the seeming truce , Anthony explained: “Nobody is after Jonathan Okolie. He is a stakeholder in the market and is therefore allowed to come and do business here. What happened was in heat of the crisis, the Department for State Security wrote a report to the Governor of Lagos State detailing what was happening at the Aguiyi Ironsi Market. Based on the report, Okolie was arraigned before Justice Okunu of the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja.

The Judge imposed conditions for his bail. One of the conditions was that he should not be seen within a three-kilometre radius of Ladipo Market until the case was determined. But after he got his bail, he went to the Appeal Court to appeal against that particular order. The Appeal Court gave a judgement that Okolie be granted access, on humanitarian grounds, to his shop and do his business. But he went to the Supreme Court challenging his non-participation in the affairs of the market”.

My story— Jonathan Chibuzo Okoli

However, when the man at the centre of controversy, Jonathan Chibuzo Okoli, was contacted he described the allegations against him as false. According to him, the current leadership of the market assumed office through the back door. He described the action of the present leadership as unconstitutional, stressing that the market constitution did not recognise the place of chairman as leader of the union but that of the President. He stated emphatically that he still remained the President of the union.

He alleged that some government officials in connivance with some security agencies and a faction of the traders, sent him to prison on trumped up charges, in order to clear the coast for “an illegal election to take place”. He further wondered why Mushin Local Government Area interfered in the election process, in spite of a restraining court order.

Okoli said he was arrested on several occasions. According to him, he was arrested on November 4, 2011 by operatives of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad. He was arrested on October 23, 2012, by personnel of the Department of State Service,DSS and in 2013 by officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

I am still the President

When VF, addressed him as the former Chairman of Aguyi Ironsi International Traders, Okoli interrupted : “I am the President. The truth is that we have a constitution that governs the association which states a three year tenure. After the three years tenure,I still have another chance to re- contest. But trouble started when some people who claimed they owned the state, wanted to impose leadership on us. They did not allow me to contest, rather they put me in prison without committing any crime.

“I was in the village when some men of the Department of State Service (then SSS)called to say they wanted to see me. I had to take a night bus for the first time in my life, to Lagos. When I reported, I was told I would meet the immediate past Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko. On reaching the command, Manko asked me what the matter was at the market. I explained and even showed him pictures of people that were maimed by my detractors.

The next thing I heard was that operatives from the Criminal Investigation Department ,Panti, Yaba were coming to pick me from the command. On reaching Panti, a policeman in charge of the cell asked what offence I was being charged for before they would throw me into the cell. But nobody could give any. After some hours, they came up with a charge of attempt to cause the breach of peace. I spent 10 days inside the cell.

From there , they took me to Igbosere High Court, where I was remanded at the Ikoyi Prison for the murder of one Maduabuchukwu Ejike. I spent four months in the prison before my bail was perfected. This was after the traders protested against my illegal incarceration,” he alleged. He stated that while in prison, those he described as ‘powers that be’ conducted an election, which prevented him from re-contesting.

“ The matter at the Supreme Court is to challenge the fact that I still remain the president. When Justice Latifat Okunu of the Lagos High court granted me bail, she barred me from going to the market and interfering in the union affairs. But how can you bar an innocent trader from trading . I went to appeal the judgment and the Appeal Court asked me to go back to the market and do my business.

The court also asked me not to report to the police as earlier ruled by the Ikeja High Court. The court also said that I could only participate in union affairs on peaceful resolution. But the present leadership is not for peace. They believe they have taken over and there was no need to discuss with me. That was why I went to the Supreme Court to challenge my position as the President of the union,” he explained.

Continuing, he said, “For close to three years now, I have not been to the market. My shops have been broken into,with all the machines and medium generators stolen. But while I was there, such things never happened”.