Kunle ADELABU with Oyinlola ADEWALE, Oyinlola OGUNJOBI & Uthman AGBOOLA (SIWES Students)
After a year and some months that some unknown soldiers forcefully entered the Ayangbure (Sabo) market in Ikorodu Local Government Area of Lagos State, Southwest, Nigeria, to illegally demolish about 100 shops with goods worth several millions of naira destroyed in the Section B block of the market, traders at the popular market on Monday, September 10,2018, again, woke up to another sad incident as their goods, worth several millions of naira, were alleged to have been forcefully removed by some armed officers from the Nigeria Custom Service (NCS) and Military personnel.
It was gathered that the armed personnel had broke into several shops loaded with bags of rice and kegs of vegetable oil, in the wee hours of Monday, and carted away about 5000 bags of rice and over 500 kegs of vegetable oil worth several millions of naira.
According to the Iya-Oloja General of Ikorodu, Alhaja ( Chief) Taofeekat Allison, the affected shops were forcefully opened by the Custom officers.
While it was gathered that most of the bags of rice carted away were imported, some of the victims also stated that some of their locally produced rice were equally taken away too.
THE IMPACT also gathered from a reliable source that the combined team of custom and army officers arrived the market’s main gate around 12midnight and immediately approached the security guards on ground at the market.
The leader of the team was reported to have asked for a particular security guard at the market who,according to report, identified himself to the armed officers.
“The fact is that they had information about where they were coming to, those they were going to meet and the exact locations of the shops they were targeting”, the source said.
“When they got to the gate, they requested to see one of our security personnel at the market. They even mentioned his name and he quickly identified himself.
“They told him that they are Federal Government’s agents and that they are on special mission and the security guards must open the locked gate for them.
“While the discussion was going on, the officers requested for the phones of the three security personnel and they complied by surrendering their communication gadgets because the invaders were armed after which they instructed the identified guards to open the gate.
“In actual fact, he was told that the mission was not about him and he was warned not to stand in their way because they are FG’s agents saddled with the task of confiscating contraband products.
Another source at the market informed THE IMPACT that more than10 trucks with the words “Federal Government” boldly inscripted on them were driven inside the market by the invaders to cart away the confiscated goods.
“It was after the gate was flung opened to them that the security guards realized that the officers were many and were fully armed”, the source said.
He added that after entering, some of the custom officers went to the section dominated by the Hausas and woke some of them to join them in the operation.
“After they had entered, some of them went to wake up some Hausa men and when our security guards querried them, they told them that they needed their services and they are going to pay them.
“ When our security men, who were kept under watch by three armed soldiers, started hearing that the custom officers were broken into shops, they requested to at least be allowed to see what they were doing but their request was turned down”.
In an interview with the Iya Oloja, Alhaja Taofeekat Allison, she stated that it was around 1am that she was informed that robbers had invaded the market but that she later got another call that the invaders were custom officers.
“It was around 1am that I got a call that robbers had invaded Sabo market and I immediately tried to reach those that matters. But I later got another call that they were Custom men”, she stated.
“We can’t fight with the government and that is why we have been supportive of present government. They should please consider that those mostly affected by this incident are women, some of whom are widows. Those shops invaded are their source of livelihood, hence they should return their goods”, she appealed.
“Many of them may not recover from this shock if the government fails to return their goods which runs into several millions of naira.
“Affected shops are up to 10 shops. You can see that most of them cannot even come out to talk to you because of the shock. They are in distress and cannot explain what has befell them”, she added.
One of the victims,
, whose two shops numbered 248 and 249 in section D of the market are affected by the invasion, in an interview with THE IMPACT, stated that the Custom officers forcefully broke into her shops and carted away 325 bags of rice and some kegs of vegetable oil.
“I sell Nigerian rice and Cotonou rice but they only took the Cotonou rice numbering 325 bags and some kegs of vegetable oil.
“My stock was delivered to me in March this year in two trailers and I’m yet to sell them. We are appealing to the government to come to our aid and get our goods returned because we have no one else to turn to except God. Government should please have mercy on us. There is no work anywhere. Where do they want us to go? We have families that we are taken care of”, she appealed
Another victim, Mr Olufemi Michael, stated:
“I was called around 1am that shops were being robbed in the market and when I got here this morning, I discovered that 397 bags of rice have been carted away from my shop.
“They also broke into my locker thinking that there was money inside. The government should please return our stolen rice because that is the only business we are engaging in and it is through it we are taking care of our families”, he stated while also appealing.
Alhaji Todiat Odungbako, owner of four shops numbered A 26, 28,29 and 30, while also speaking with our reporter, stated that 140 bags of rice were taken from his shops by the custom officers.
“They broke into my shops and carted away 140 bags of rice. They even broke my locker but unfortunately for them, I didn’t have money inside it.
When THE IMPACT visited the Ikorodu Local Government Secretariat to get the reaction of the Council Chairman, Hon. Wasiu Adeshina, concerning the invasion,it was that that he was out of town on official duty but the Secretary to the Local Government, Alhaji Lateef Afinni, who spoke with our reporters, confirmed the incident.
He words, “It was after my prayer around 5am that I discovered that Iya-Oloja had called me severally but I missed the calls because my phone was in silence mode. On returning the call, she informed me that some Custom and Army personnel invaded the market and carted away several bags of rice and kegs of vegetable oil”.
“Although, the chairman is away on official engagement, he has been duly informed and he promised to make time out to visit the Custom’s office in Ikeja and also brief the state government on the development.
“We, as the local council authority, are doing everything possible to get to the root of the matter because those affected are our people and they deserve information about the whereabout of their goods and why they were confiscated.
Alhaji Afinni also promised that our newspaper would be fully briefed as soon as the chairman returns.
