Traders at the Mowe/Ofada Market in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State are upset after the state government demolished the market. They say the demolition happened without any prior notice.
The angry traders reported that the demolition took place early on Friday at around 2am, before they arrived for work.
They said the destruction caused losses of over N500 million in goods.
One affected trader, Mrs Kabira Ajiboye, spoke to journalists while inspecting the demolished market. She expressed frustration that no official notice was given to inform traders about the government's plan to demolish the market.
Ajiboye mentioned that officials from the Ministry of Urban and Physical Planning had visited the market in 2023 during the local government elections. They paused plans to demolish after traders explained they were paying their rents to the local government authority.
She said, "There was no demolition notice whatsoever. In 2023, officials from the Ministry of Environment came here during the local government election period, but when we explained that we paid our rents to the local government, they left and did not carry out any demolition.
"This time around, they did not issue any notice. We arrived at our stalls this morning only to discover that everything had been demolished. Goods worth over N500 million have been destroyed."
Ajiboye criticized the authorities for acting without considering the suffering of the traders, many of whom depend on their businesses for survival.
"At the very least, they should have shown a human face and compassion while carrying out the exercise. They should have allowed us to remove our goods before demolishing our shops. This is a bad omen for a government seeking the support of the people."
She added, "How can you whip people and still expect them to smile? We got here this morning and saw armed policemen stationed everywhere."
The trader called on Governor Dapo Abiodun to step in and provide an alternative location for the affected traders to continue their businesses.
Ajiboye also revealed that many traders had taken loans to start their small businesses. The demolition has left them heartbroken and unsure about their future.
Attempts to reach the state Commissioner for Urban and Physical Planning, Tunji Odunlami, were unsuccessful. Calls made to him went unanswered, and text and WhatsApp messages sent to him did not receive a response by the time of this report.
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