Traders at the Mowe/Ofada Market in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State have protested the demolition of the market by the state government, alleging that the exercise was carried out without prior notification to shop owners and occupants.
The affected traders claimed that the demolition operation took place around 2am on Friday, several hours before business activities usually commence in the market.
According to them, goods and property valued at over N500 million were destroyed during the exercise.
Speaking with journalists during a visit to the demolished site, one of the traders, Mrs Kabira Ajiboye, said no official communication or demolition notice was issued before the structures were pulled down.
Ajiboye recalled that officials from the Ministry of Urban and Physical Planning had previously visited the market in 2023 during the local government election period but suspended plans to remove the structures after traders explained that they paid rent and levies to the local government authority.
“There was no notice served on us before the demolition. In 2023, officials from the ministry came here during the local government election period, but after we informed them that we paid our rents to the local government, they left without demolishing anything.
“This time, nobody informed us. We got to the market this morning only to discover that our shops had been destroyed. Goods worth more than N500 million were lost in the process,” she said.
The traders accused government officials of carrying out the demolition without considering the economic hardship the exercise would impose on business owners who depend entirely on the market for survival.
“At least, they should have shown compassion by allowing traders to remove their goods before demolishing the structures. Many of us survive solely from these businesses.
“This is not the kind of treatment people expect from a government seeking public support.
“How do you treat people this way and expect them to be happy? When we arrived this morning, armed policemen had already taken over the area,” Ajiboye lamented.
She appealed to Governor Dapo Abiodun to intervene by providing an alternative location where the displaced traders could relocate and continue their businesses.
Ajiboye further disclosed that several traders obtained loans to establish and sustain their businesses, adding that the demolition had left many of them stranded and uncertain about their future.
Attempts to get a response from the Ogun State Commissioner for Urban and Physical Planning, Tunji Odunlami, were unsuccessful as calls placed to his phone line were not answered.
Text and WhatsApp messages sent to him had also not been replied to as of the time of filing this report.
