Traders lament demolition of Lagos POWA market as police laud exercise

Traders at the POWA (Police Officers’ Wives Association) market, Phase II Plaza, Computer Village, Lagos, have lamented demolition of their structures.

The market was pulled down by police authorities on New Year day, at about 12:30 a.m., while many traders were away celebrating the holiday.

The Guardian learnt that eviction notices had been posted on walls of the market on December 31, 2023 while the demolition followed after midnight.

Some traders who didn’t travel during the festive period had immediately begun moving their goods away, even as they hoped a resolution could be reached with the management after the holiday. Others, however, were not lucky.

Angry with the management, the traders flayed the demolition, describing it as a bad way to begin the year.

When The Guardian visited the market yesterday, some of them were seen milling around the demolished shops while others stood in clusters discussing the situation.

One Stanley Jude said the traders were not given ample time to prepare and look for alternative shops outside the premises.

He said: “I started moving my goods partially. I never knew they would start demolishing the place in the middle of the night. I got a call at about 1.00 a.m., saying they had started. I tried to get here but there was no way I could do so until 4:00 a.m. By that time, the demolition had been completed and everywhere had been levelled.

“I was able to move out about 70 per cent of my goods. But other items were looted. Some people lost everything because while the demolition was ongoing, people were looting. Some people were in their villages. They called to ask about the situation. They were restless.”

Asked how he was coping, Jude said: “We are still waiting for someone to tell us what will happen next. We are just hanging around.”

Another trader, Obinna Oduma, said: “I don’t want to talk about it because it’s something I was not expecting. We are only here to see what we can do. There is no cash to get things done. This is like putting us in the worst situation in life. We had a standard generator in the market. We bought 2,000 litres of diesel before the demolition. But people stole it and sold it off. They were about to steal our generator, which we bought for N7 million, and resell it at N300,000.

“We went to the governor’s office and the state Assembly when the notice was issued. They told us that they were going to look into the matter. But the demolition was done the same day, at about 12:00 a.m. There were more than 150 police officers on stand by to ensure completion of the demolition. We built the road inside the market with interlocking blocks. We also changed the roofing of the shops because it was old. We were about to repaint the market before the incident.”

Reacting, spokesperson for Nigeria Police Force, Muyiwa Adejobi, said the decision to demolish and reconstruct the complex was predicated on professional opinion, which indicated that the market had become an environmental hazard.”

Adejobi described the site as prone to flooding and susceptible to collapse; hence the need for immediate landscaping and reconstruction. He said the demolition and reconstruction will be in phases, stressing that it was done in good faith and for the welfare of all parties.