Friday, March 29, 2024

Policemen overrun Ikeja Computer Village, destroy goods worth millions of Naira

Policemen numbering about 25, in the early hours of Thursday, invaded the popular Computer Village in Ikeja, Lagos, pulling down makeshift shops and shacks.
The armed policemen arrived at the multi-billion Naira market at about 9:23am in a convoy of about seven vehicles.
The traders, who were observing the weekly environmental sanitation exercise when the policemen arrived, did not know the mission of the security men until they began to demolish the shops.
Led by an AK 47-wielding chief superintendent of police dressed in fatigue uniform, the policemen entered the market through Otigba Street, destroying planks, chairs and tables on sight.
Their convoy also went through Adepele Street, where they over-turned cooked food items, and arrested some persons.
“They even emptied foods items meant to be sold to shop owners at the end of the weekly exercise”, a trader identified as Obinna said.
Obinna added that the food items were even covered with tarpaulin. The war-like situation created some pandemonium in the area as traders and shop-owners ran helter-skelter.
No fewer than 15 persons were arrested and taken to the nearby Ikeja Police Division as while the confusion lasted.
The arrested persons were not immediately charged with any known offence but had to pay “huge” amounts of money before regaining their freedom.
Our Correspondent, who was at the scene, was harassed and chased away for attempting to speak with the CSP leading the policemen.
Investigations revealed that a group of shop-owners had lately lodged a complaint with the police, claiming that those who did not have shops in the market had been preventing them from making sales by blocking their shops from their customers.
“It was in an apparent follow-up to the complaints that the police waded in”, an independent source told The Point.
The source added, “We make a daily contribution of N700 to our middle-men who usually settle the police. I wonder why the sudden invasion and destruction of our property”.
The state command spokesperson, DolapoBadmos, said that the matter had not been brought to her notice.
“I would not know what happened. Let me make contacts with Ikeja Division before getting back to you,” Badmos had said.
But as at the time of filing this report, no feedback had been got from the PPRO’s office.

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