On the morning of Saturday, August 16, 2025, a significant part of the popular Alaba Rago market in Lagos State was again demolished. The latest in a series of demolitions continued until Wednesday, August 20. Weekend Trust captures the pain, agony and losses of traders.

Alaba Rago is a well-known commercial hub dominated by traders of northern extraction, who have been there for about five decades.

As a popular food, livestock and scrap metal market in the Ojo area of Lagos State, Alaba Rago, which ‘never goes to sleep’, sees hundreds of scavengers and traders milling round buying and selling one item or another on a daily basis.

According to reports, the market, which was established in the late 1970s, attracted Hausa and Fulani traders who specialised in cattle, grains, perishable food items and general merchandise. Overtime, it grew into a full community with mosques, shops, residential shanties and informal banking systems.

Situated along the Lagos–Badagry corridor, Alaba Rago occupies a strategic location for goods entering Lagos from neighbouring West African countries through Seme border.

Findings showed that the market became popular due to the rising and biting cost of food items. Interestingly, both the rich and poor now find solace in the market as varieties of goods are sold at cheaper rates.

The market has also evolved for 48 years into a huge food and livestock hub, not because of rams, which only peaks at religious festive periods, but because restaurant owners now buy cheap meat from the place.

Artisans too make their purchases here as used knots, bolts, spanners, tyre jacks, bottles, plastic of all sorts, iron, metals, roofing sheets, furniture of all kinds, generators, bicycles and even recycled food items are sold in the market.

In May, 2024, officials of the state government task force stormed the market and pulled down a section, leaving behind debris from what was once wooden sharks used as stores.

The task force that demolished part of the market explained that the exercise was carried out to remove shanties and illegal structures. It said a removal notice was issued after a previous one was served to occupants on May 19, 2022.

Despite the demolition, traders continued their business until another round of demolition last week.

Weekend Trust reports that the latest demolition began on August 17 till August 20, displacing many traders and destroying properties worth millions of naira.

The state government said the market had grown beyond control, spilling into adjoining roads and contributing to traffic congestion, insecurity and environmental disorder.

One trader lamented that 40 mosques were destroyed during the demolition exercise.

An elderly man, Alhaji Hamidu Musa, disclosed that he was part of the early traders who built the market after they were relocated from Alaba Suru in 1979.

“When Alaba Rago was allocated to us, it was a forest and slump with no road network, no settlement, except the village of Okoko Maiko. Their chief called Baale, Chief Okoko hosted and embraced us.

“While struggling to build the market, we encountered all sorts of wild animals like snakes. The market was developed by the Hausa. Now, what we established in 50 years was demolished in just four hours,” Musa lamented.

He said the three shops he had in the market, which he rented out to enable him take care of himself and his 16 children, were demolished.

Another victim, Alhaji Muhammed Rabiu, who sells grains in the market, told Weekend Trust that the traders did not occupy the place illegally as the land was allocated by the government, adding that they also pay their dues through the host local government.

“For 50 years, no building in the market had ever been erected by the government. The place was allocated to us and we sought approval to build shops. We paid our dues to the government at all levels, yet our market was demolished in broad daylight. This is like being evicted and sued at the same time. It is like stealing our mandate,” he said.

One of the traders, Alhaji Mohammed, said there was a six-month demolition notice, but the officials of the government carried out the demolition less than a month after it was served.

“The demolition began four days ago. As we speak, there is no place to sleep or rest. They demolished everything – shops, mosques, churches, offices. I have left everything to God because only him can intervene in this matter,” he said.

He lamented that the Lagos State Government carried out the demolition which affected his means of livelihood despite voting for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

“I don’t belong to any other party but the APC; however, you can see what the party did to us here now,” he lamented.

Situation after demolition

One of our correspondents who visited the market observed that traders in Alaba Rago were carrying out their business in an open space on the rubbles of blocks.

Alhaji Ibrahim, who sells ropes, said he had spent 45 years in the market, adding that government entered the market in broad daylight without any notice and demolished their shops and destroyed their properties worth billions of naira.

“Many of us do not have anywhere to go; that is why people have continued to trade on an open space after their shops were demolished. People are stranded. More than 3,000 shops and 40 mosques were demolished. We are managing under rain and sun. I shed tears on Saturday when it rained because I felt sorry for people here. Traders lost more than you can imagine,” he said.

Another trader, Nura Dan Marayan Zaki, who sells beans, disclosed that officials of the government and security personnel with heavy weapons stormed the market with six bulldozers. He added that policemen sprayed teargas on traders.

“They broke into our market without notice. We have lost huge properties, including the commodities we sell. They didn’t allow us to remove our goods. No one will pay us but God. We have been treated unfairly,” he said.

A woman who sells yam at the market, Mrs Asema, told Weekend Trust that she has been at Alaba Rago for over 28 years earning money to take care of her children and pay their school fees.

“Now, they have demolished our place and destroyed our properties; where do they want us to go? They came and demolished part of the market last year. Why are they trying to evict us? Why not develop the market in phase?” She asked.

‘We lost over N20bn’

Malam Inusa Adamu Gaidam, a trader who also owns public toilets and shops in the market, said he lost two of his public toilets and 28 shops.

He said that In his 30 years in Lagos, he had never seen the kind of suffer and calamity that befell the people of the northern part of the country who live in Lagos, as a result of demolition.

“May God reward us, but we have been wronged and oppressed. We have submitted our case to God,” he said, adding that a large portion of the shops in the market and other properties belonged to orphans.

‘I know the man who was in charge of 9 public toilets belonging to some orphans. He is from my town. They were all demolished,” he said.

Alhaji Adamu Katagum, the Waziri who is second in command to the Sarkin Kasuwar Alaba Rago, confirmed that over 3,000 shops and 40 mosques were demolished, estimating the losses suffered by traders at N20 billion.

He said the market was established by northerners in 1979 when there was nobody in the area, adding that they invested heavily to develop the place.

Katagum said, “The government has never spent a kobo here, nor has it provided any basic amenity, yet we pay taxes and dues at all levels. They came and demolished what we have been building for 50 years without following the rules or due process. This is a huge loss for us northerners who are trying to earn a living here.

“They demolished everything in one day without prior notice. We will not agree. We must seek justice; we are also Nigerians; Lagos is part of Nigeria.”

He recalled that before the 2023 general elections, the Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, was in the market twice to seek their votes during his campaigns. He also said that Vice President Kashim Shettima, as well as former national chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and other party stalwarts were also in the market asking for their votes and even promised to wipe away their tears. “Now, we voted for them and they have rewarded us by demolishing our market,” he said.

Katagum further said that no emir in the North or any leader from the region had come to their rescue despite the fact that they had written several letters to them asking for assistance.

Kwankwaso meets market leaders

Weekend Trust reports that a former governor of Kano State, Dr Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso met market leaders at a hotel in Lagos recently concerning the situation. In a video recorded during the meeting, the former governor and leader of the Kwankwasiyya group and presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in the 2023 general elections said he was more interested in the poor traders and not leaders of the market who failed to be united. According to him, the poor traders need justice.

Speaking on lack of unity among northern leaders in the market, Kwankwaso said, “If there was unity among the leaders, I would have asked you to write in one voice and I would convey it to the one in Abuja (President Bola Tinubu) and the one here (Lagos State governor), but there is no such unity.”

The Sarkin Kasuwa of Alaba Rago, Alhaji Umar Nagoggo Sokoto, told Weekend Trust that the palace of the Emir of Kano and the leadership of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) had contacted him and promised to intervene.

He recalled that he had a meeting with Governor Sanwo-Olu some years back. “The governor called me and I went to his office with 15 people – sectional leaders of the market. We had the meeting in his office in the presence of all the stakeholders, including traditional rulers and the contractor or developer.

“I told the governor that we didn’t need a contractor in our market. I told him that we would develop our market by ourselves because they demolished Gatankowa market, and for more than four years they did not construct anything there. We don’t want that to happen to our market. The governor agreed with me and told the contractor to step back. He also promised to compensate him.

“He urged us to put our demands on paper, which we did and sent the letter to him through our leaders – the Sarkin Hausawa and Sarkin Fulani of Lagos. That was the last meeting we had with the governor. We were not served any notice prior to the demolition. When I contacted the Local Council Development Area (LCDA) chairman, he told me that he was not aware of the demolition and had no prior knowledge of it,” he said, adding that the state government is not fair to them.

All efforts to get comments from the government on the demolition have proved abortive.

The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, did not pick several calls from our correspondent between Thursday and Friday. He also didn’t respond to text message sent to him as of the time of this report.

Also contacted, the Special Adviser to the governor on on Media, Gboyega Akosile, also declined comment. He promised to reach out to the Commissioner for Physical Planning and get back to our correspondent but there was no response as of yesterday evening.

Also, the Chairman of Ojo Local Government did not also pick his call.

However, a source in government who spoke under anonymity because he is not in a position to speak with our correspondent challenged the traders in the market to produce document of building approval.

He said the government would not have demolished the market if it hadn’t contravened the state’s physical planning regulations.

Amnesty International condemns government’s action

Amnesty International has condemned the demolition of Alaba Rago market. In a statement placed on its verified social media handle, the group noted that the demolition was carried out unlawfully, without adequate consultation and without plans to offer an alternative space to the victims. The group noted that carrying out the demolition exercise only one month into the six-month notice issued to the traders showed a deliberate contempt for the rule of law and due process.

“The demolition has made hundreds of families homeless and destroyed the livelihood of thousands who have been trading in that space for decades. The violent way the demolition was carried out also left some people with injuries and entire businesses destroyed. Those who tried to salvage what remained of their businesses were tear-gassed. Hundreds of traders and residents of Alaba Rago watched in horror as their homes and possessions were destroyed. For the residents of these deprived communities, many of who rely on petty trading to make a living, Alaba Rago represents home, work and survival.

“International law prohibits forced eviction and deliberate destruction of property. The traders at Alaba Rago have been subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment for which suspected perpetrators must be brought to justice as a matter of urgency.

“Lagos State authorities must immediately establish a commission of inquiry to investigate the shocking incident at Alaba Rago and provide adequate housing and compensation to all those who have lost their means of livelihood and homes,” the human rights group stated.

Action violates Nigerian constitution – Lawyer

Adam Bashir, a human rights lawyer who travelled from Kano to Lagos to sympathise with the victims of the demolition, described the exercise as illegal, saying, “While we are not unmindful of the fact that the governor has the power to revoke rights of occupancy, statutorily or otherwise, the constitution under section 44, as well as the land use act under sections 28 and 29, does not hand this power to the governor to be applied at whims and arbitrarily.

“These sections of the law mandate that such revocation must be for an overriding public interest after giving the holder an adequate notice and compensation.

“Coming to the issue of the occupants of Alaba Rago market, the question remains: Was their right of occupancy lawfully revoked or it was forcibly taken by the Lagos State governor?

“To answer this question, we need to look at whether the Lagos governor abided by the following conditions as set out by the law: There must be a written revocation notice; the revocation notice must be signed by the governor or a public officer duly authorised to act on his behalf; the revocation must be for a permitted reason, such as an overriding public interest (for a public project) or a failure to comply with the conditions attached to the right of occupancy; the formal notice must be issued to the holder of the right of occupancy personally; the notice must clearly state the specific reason for the revocation and accurately describe the property or the subject matter of the revocation; the notice must be properly served on the holder, either through direct delivery to the person, leaving it at their usual or last known address, sending it via registered post to their address, for a company by delivering it to their secretary or clerk at the principal office or if the person’s address is unknown, by affixing the notice to a conspicuous part of the premises.

“Lest we forget, there is no valid evidence of compliance with the above conditions as no written notice was ever served on any of the occupants; not at all.

“This being the case, the Lagos State governor acted illegally and in total disregard to the rule of law by resorting to rule of force, which is against the established statutory and international practice,” he said.

A political activist, Omoyele Sowore, described the demolition as an ethnic persecution, saying, “I condemn this act by the Lagos State Government led by Babajide Sanwo-Olu.”

ACF to Lagos gov’t: Halt further demolition of Alaba Rago market

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has expressed sadness over the demolition of the market and urged the Lagos State Government to refrain from further action.

In a statement issued by its national publicity secretary, Professor Tukur Muhammad, the ACF commiserated with all the people affected, directly and indirect.

“Hopefully, the usual famed stoic resilience of our industrious people would come to play in helping those affected to cope with losses arising from the demolition,” the group stated.

The ACF stated that it had initiated efforts to obtain details of the incident, its impact and the antecedents leading to it.

“The outcome of the investigations should provide a basis for an engagement with the affected community and the Lagos State Government for a satisfactory resolution of the problem.

“In the meantime, the ACF calls on Lagos State and federal authorities to extend aids to the victims of the incident and help them to rebuild their lives.

“The ACF also calls on those affected and their sympathisers to remain calm and law-abiding. Alaba Rago has been a historic landmark in Lagos and the ACF believes it would remain so. In the fullness of time, the market will roar back to life and become even more vibrant and prosperous,” the group stated. (Weekend Trust)