The Centre for Human and Socio-Economic Rights (CHSR) has cautioned the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) against what it described as an orchestrated campaign to distort the facts surrounding the killing of six traders at Owode-Onirin Motor Spare Parts Market on August 27, 2025.

At a press conference held at the market yesterday, CHSR President, Comrade Alex Omotehinse, said the alleged false narrative was aimed at erasing the memory of the victims and manipulating public perception.

He listed the deceased as Mr. Seyi Akinboye, Mr. Adeoye Taiwo, Mr. Dare Mufutau, Mr. Aderemi Adeoye Hakeem, Mr. Abraham Idowu Temilola, and Mr. Wale Adebayo, all legitimate traders who had petitioned the government over alleged harassment and illegal demolition of their shops.

Omotehinse said, “They were not criminals. They were breadwinners, fathers, and community members. Their only crime was standing up for their right to trade and live peacefully on land legally allocated by the Lagos State Government decades ago.

“Eyewitnesses, video recordings, photographs, and firsthand accounts by families and co-traders confirm that these men were killed in cold blood within the market premises during the assault. The incident was also documented by reputable media outlets within 48 hours of the attack.”

He lamented: “For over a month after the massacre, the Lagos State Government has failed to show empathy or take decisive action. No condolence visit has been paid, no arrest has been made, and no judicial inquiry has been launched. Instead, the same suspects and the implicated police officers were released without trial after 42 days, under the pretext of self-defence,” he said.

He added that bereaved families were being asked to pay large sums for post-mortems before reclaiming the bodies of their loved ones, describing the demand as “barbaric, exploitative, and inhumane.”

He said, “It is nothing short of daylight robbery against the poor, who are already grieving the loss of their breadwinners. Where are aged parents and widowed mothers expected to find such money? Is justice now a privilege reserved only for the rich?”

The group urged the police to retract what it termed false claims and publish a transparent report on the Owode-Onirin killings.

“The land grabber and his accomplices must be re-arrested and prosecuted for murder, terrorism, and unlawful demolition. The four police officers from Nasarawa Command must face public trial in Lagos State, where the crime was committed,” Omotehinse said.

He also called on the Lagos State Government to compensate the victims’ families and ensure free post-mortem examinations, while urging the Federal Government, National Assembly, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), and civil society groups to prevent what he described as “a burial of justice under official lies.” (The Guardian)