The Lagos State Commissioner of Police (CP) Olohundare Jimoh has reassured traders of Owode Onirin Spareparts Market of his commitment to justice on the demolition of their shops by a suspected landgrabber last August.
He gave the assurance during a meeting with the traders at the market on Friday afternoon, where he received a rousing welcome.
Addressing concerns about the Owode Onirin market, the commissioner clarified that structures demolished in the area were not pulled down by the Lagos State Government but by a land grabber, who has since been arrested. He said the suspect illegally brought in police officers from outside Lagos State in violation of the Inspector-General of Police’s directive against protecting land grabbers.
Those officers, he said, have been transferred to the Force Criminal Investigation Department and are undergoing disciplinary procedures, alongside the land grabber, over deaths linked to the incident.
Since August 27, described as a tragic day for the community, CP Jimoh said the police have maintained constant engagement with traders and provided round-the-clock security to ensure business activities continue safely.
He said the command has ensured all necessary evidence to prosecute the suspect was secured, adding that reports of a ballistic test conducted were expected.
Speaking on the protest that erupted on Wednesday in Ikeja, which led to the use of minimal force to disperse the crowd, the CP insisted that the demonstration veered into violence and posed serious risks to public safety.
He accused the organisers of acts of insurrection, alleging that all attempts to make them understand it was unacceptable to block Awolowo Road for several hours, even after they had been addressed by lawmakers, proved abortive.
Acknowledging that peaceful protest and freedom of expression are essential to democracy, he noted that the Ikeja protest crossed a red line when organisers allegedly removed schoolchildren from classrooms and attempted to coerce them into joining the march.
According to him, some of the children, still in school uniforms, were too young to participate in a long trek from the Ikeja Underbridge to the Lagos State House of Assembly.
Police, he said, insisted on their immediate withdrawal and safe return to school, describing the act as dangerous and contrary to international child-protection standards.
The commissioner also raised concern over the display of a coffin at the protest ground, describing it as a symbol of violence rather than peaceful dissent. He said the coffin was recovered from a group led by Taiwo Hassan and Daley Frank, whom he identified as organisers of the protest.
Despite provocation, insults and harassment directed at officers, Jimoh said the police exercised restraint and acted within the law.
He disclosed that three separate groups participated in the protest, two of which had no links to Owode Onirin, Oworonshoki or Makoko. These groups, he alleged, mobilised people off the streets with stipends and exposed them to danger. By contrast, he said the Makoko community had a long history of peaceful engagement with government and the police, and had consistently informed security agencies ahead of protests.
Jimoh noted that unverified claims that children were killed during the protest were false and used to incite unrest, stressing that no families or parents of alleged victims were ever presented.
On the use of tear gas to disperse protesters, the commissioner said the decision was taken only after highways were blocked for over six hours, with reports of medical emergencies, stranded travellers and people fainting in traffic. He stressed that no firearm was discharged during the operation.
CP Jimoh confirmed that Taiwo Hassan and Dale Frank were arrested for criminal acts committed in the presence of police officers and were charged in court within the constitutionally stipulated time.
Reaffirming the command’s commitment to human rights, he said peaceful and lawful protests would always receive police protection, warning traders against being misled by individuals with ulterior motives.
He added that police deployment in Owode Onirin market has been doubled, while urging civil society organisations and the media to verify facts before amplifying claims capable of disrupting public order.
Appreciating the CP for standing by them, the traders said they pulled back from the protest after they realised its organisers had ulterior motives.
According to them, they have been going to the State House of Assembly to register their grievances over the demolition of their shops and the killing of their colleagues since August and have always received police protection.
“This time around, we received an invitation that all those whose markets were demolished in Lagos should come for a protest to the State House of Assembly. That’s why our people joined the protest. But on getting there, we saw it was something else. We had to draw back because we do not have any issue with the police. All we want is justice,” said one of the traders who claimed his shop was among those demolished.
Chairman of the Traders’ Association thanked the CP for always being there for them, noting that he had visited the place thrice since the August incident.
He also confirmed that the traders were not fighting the police nor the state government, adding that they only want justice for their dead colleagues and those who lost their sources of livelihood.
