By Gbenga Salau
For many traders within and around the Babajide Sanwo-Olu International Market in Ketu, it has not been easy operating within and around the market as a result of the daily extortions and harassment by thugs they have had to grapple with over the years.
They alleged enduring the pains and humiliation that come with trading in the market since it was rebuilt by Onyekachi Simeon, through his company, Total Value Limited.
The traders claim thugs have taken control of key aspects of the market operations, imposing excessive levies and using intimidation and force to collect the levies.
According to multiple traders, these thugs demand ₦8,000 from every vehicle that brings goods into the market, but it was recently increased to N9000 per vehicle that moves items into the market.
They said any driver that refuses to comply with paying the money faces severe consequences, including physical assault and a damage of the vehicle. “If a driver refuses to pay, they beat him to the point of unconsciousness,” said one trader, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “A boy that was beaten recently is still in the hospital receiving treatment,” it was added.
Also for any customer to move goods out of the market, he or she is expected to pay N100 per trip which some customers are not happy with.
Beyond the entry and exit fees, traders, especially petty traders who display their wares in the open space within and around the market stated that they are daily forced to pay all manner of levies.
The listed the levies being imposed on them and collected mostly by thugs to include N100 daily council levy, N100 daily developer levy, N100 daily PSP levy, and N100 daily baba Oloja levy.
These petty traders added that while those who have shops pay N250 weekly as LAWMA/PSP levy, they are forced to cough out N100 daily for LAWMA/PSP levy.
According to them, as part of cowing them, they were temporarily evicted from their different spots despite each of them paid ₦50,000 each for their operating space but were allowed to continue trading days after.
Though this was after each of them agreed to be paying ₦200 daily to the thugs just to continue their business, in addition to the multiple other levies imposed by the local council.
“After all the money we’ve paid, after the stress of dealing with these thugs every day, the council still sends its people to chase us away from where we display our goods,” another trader lamented.
The situation has left many traders frustrated and fearful for their livelihoods. They say the constant financial strain is making it difficult to sustain their businesses, and those who resist the levies risk losing their goods to the very people meant to maintain order in the market.
“We are suffering, and nobody is helping us. We just want to work in peace without being harassed every day.”
Many other traders are hesitant to speak out openly due to fear of the likely backlash from the thugs, the developer and the council, but they are calling on Lagos State government and relevant authorities to intervene before the situation gets worse.
During a visit to the market, it was noticed that many of the thugs within the market are into drugs and one of the traders claimed boys who work for them are initiated into drugs too.
When the developer, Onyekachi, was contacted, he denied that he was collecting multiple levies from the traders. He said the only levy he collects is the council levy which the council seeded to him to collect on behalf of the council as the developer of the market.
He added that the LAWMA/PSP levy is not collected by him. He further said that it is the transport union that is collecting the N9000 levy from vehicles bringing goods into the market, claiming he has no say on it.
