Traders under the aegis of the Coalition of Associations in Computer Village, Ikeja (CACOVI), kept their shops shut on Otigba Street over the weekend in a peaceful show of solidarity, as the coalition renewed its appeal to the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) to reopen plazas sealed over a tax compliance dispute.

Traders were seen milling around the street throughout the day, even as shops remained closed.

The solidarity shutdown, which drew shop owners, plaza heads and association leaders, came after CACOVI sent a reminder letter to the LIRS, dated July 23, 2026, appealing for the “immediate reopening” of the affected plazas and renewing calls for an urgent stakeholders’ meeting.

According to CACOVI, the crisis began after LIRS officials sealed plazas in a tax enforcement exercise, alleging that some market leaders had failed to fully comply with an agreed tax payment arrangement.

The affected plazas have remained under lock since last Wednesday, marking what the coalition described as the first time in the market’s history that shops have been shut for a full week over a tax dispute.

CACOVI’s President, Timi Famoroti, said the tax agency had gone back on terms it had earlier reached with sections of the market leadership.

He explained that traders had over the years complied with increasing tax fees, which rose to N50,100 for many members, before the enforcement action.

He alleged that the LIRS later demanded three years’ tax arrears despite the earlier arrangement, adding that some traders who had already settled their tax obligations also had their shops sealed when the entire plaza, and eventually Otigba Street, were shut.

Famoroti also faulted the LIRS for engaging only some market leaders rather than CACOVI, which he described as the umbrella body representing more than 50 associations, including plaza heads, within Computer Village.

“The information was not passed to the whole market,” he said, while maintaining that the coalition supports the state’s revenue drive but wants dialogue restored.

Vice President of the coalition, Chinedu Mbakwe, also questioned the demand for three years’ tax arrears, despite what he said were existing annual payment records. He argued that sealing entire plazas over personal income tax disputes unfairly punished compliant traders alongside alleged defaulters.

A trader, Andrew Azionu of Bush Bill Ventures, told The Guardian that the dispute worsened after LIRS officials allegedly requested sensitive personal information, including Bank Verification Numbers (BVN), National Identification Numbers (NIN) and details of traders’ children as part of a new tax assessment process.

According to him, many traders were reluctant to provide the information over fears of fraud and unauthorised access to their accounts. He also questioned why Computer Village appeared to be subjected to stricter tax enforcement than other markets in Lagos.

In an internal mobilisation message circulated to plaza heads, Famoroti called for a total shutdown of business activities in solidarity with affected traders, alleging that the LIRS had breached an earlier agreement.

In its letter to the Director of the Informal Sector Department of the LIRS, CACOVI said the closure had disrupted the livelihoods of more than 300,000 people connected to the market. The coalition also noted that a stakeholders’ meeting earlier scheduled for July 22 did not hold.

It urged the agency to immediately and unconditionally reopen all sealed plazas and reschedule the meeting with the coalition’s leadership.

As of press time, the LIRS had acknowledged receipt of CACOVI’s letter but was yet to schedule the requested meeting with the coalition’s leadership, while traders say the standoff continues to take a toll on businesses across the market.

Also, emails sent to the agency seeking its official position on the matter had not been responded to.