The Idi-Oro market near Mushin was reopened yesterday, one week after it was shut following a gang war.
Traders jumped for joy when they heard the news.
They hugged one another, sang and shook hands. One of them said; “Let us bring goods inside, sales must begin tonight”
The market’s Chairman, Alhaji Agbajelola Ademola, said its closure affected traders.
He said: “It has not been easy for the market women not to have made sales in the last few days. We thank God that government listened to us and have reopened the market.”
Ademola urged the government to provide security in the market because of hoodlums.” Since the market was closed, we have not seen these hoodlums and we do not want to see them again. We did a lot to get the market reopened. We made government to realise that the traders were not involved in the crisis. We petitioned the Commissioner of Police and the Inspector-General of Police”
He asked the government to release the eight persons that were arrested because they were not involved in the crisis. “It was the police officers that told us to get boys to take the guy that was killed. They are part of us, they are not trouble markers.”
One of the market leaders, Mr Bamidele Ganiyu said, the market lost over N5 million during its closure.
“This is one of the best markets in the state. It is of help to the state in a number of ways. The market we sell here, which comes from different states, spreads across the entire Lagos from here”.
Chairman of Meat sellers, Razak Rahimi, said: “Those that bought plantain in bulk suffered a large loss. Some shops have been damaged. How to feed has been an issue. We have nobody to sell our goods to. Those that bought meat in bulk suffered big loss. We were jobless.”