Dozens of traders were displaced and properties worth millions of naira destroyed on Thursday following the demolition of the popular Costain Market in Lagos by the state government.

The operation, carried out by a combined team from the Lagos State Task Force, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), and the Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI), was led by the Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Transport, Mr. Sola Giwa.

Eyewitnesses said the officials arrived in the early afternoon with bulldozers and security operatives, dispersing traders and passersby with teargas before pulling down rows of shops, stalls, and a mosque. The sudden demolition left traders scrambling to salvage their goods as thick dust and confusion filled the air.

Many affected traders alleged that the demolition was executed without prior notice. ?It was around 1 p.m. I was on my way to deliver goods to Victoria Island when I saw Task Force vehicles heading toward our shops,? said Alfred Wisdom, a snack producer who claimed to have lost over ?5 million in cash and stock. ?Before I could return, they had broken into my shop and carted away my weekly sales. They said my business was illegal. This is disheartening.?

Wisdom lamented that the incident followed closely after the Otumara community demolition, where over 500,000 residents were displaced just six months ago. ?It feels like we?re being targeted. We got no notice, no chance to pack our wares,? he added tearfully.

Religious centers were not spared. The Imam of the demolished Markaz-ul-Mahani Mosque, Ustadz Abdulsallam Olawale, confirmed that the mosque and several nearby structures were destroyed. ?They said they were clearing commercial buses, but then turned on traders and worshippers,? he said. ?Many victims of the earlier Otumara demolition had stored their belongings here ? all gone now.?

He appealed to the Lagos State Government for compassion. ?We are pleading with Governor Sanwo-Olu to consider the human cost of these actions. Where do we go from here??

A property owner and traditional leader of Otumara, High Chief Kehinde Kalejaiye, condemned the demolition, describing it as unlawful and excessive. He said the affected land had valid Federal Government allocation papers. ?The officials came in a commando manner, unleashing terror on innocent traders,? he said. ?When I tried to ask for an explanation, I was verbally assaulted. This must stop. It was when I challenged him and query why him, being an S.A to the Governor on Transport would meddle into property demolition that he called in officials of the Lagos State Task Force and KAI into the scene to embark on the demolition. This is nothing but misuse and abuse of government power and authority.?

As of press time, the Lagos State Government had yet to issue an official statement explaining the reason for the demolition or whether affected traders would receive any form of compensation. (Nigerian Tribune)

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