A deadly clash between suspected land speculators and groups of motor spare parts traders has led to 3 deaths and many injuries in Owode Onirin market, Lagos State.
Apart from the dead and injured traders, property and goods worth millions of Naira were also damaged within the market.
Eyewitnesses said that the dispute was so intense that traders were forced to lock their shops to avoid being casualties.
According to the reports, the clashes happened amid long-standing disagreements over the market’s land, which was previously allocated to the first set of traders by the Lagos State Government during Governor Lateef Jakande’s government, after they relocated from Jankara Market on the Lagos Island axis of the state.
The dispute resumed on Tuesday with a suspected speculator, Abiodun Ariori, who is the CEO of Prosperous Ariori Golden Venture Limited, launching an attack alongside armed men.
The attack began around 7:15 PM when armed men guarding Abiodun Ariori allegedly tried to ward off “trespassers” despite a court order that warned parties to maintain the status quo.
Storming Weighbridge, Ajegunle, and Agbajoowo to restore peace, Lagos policemen eventually dispersed the aggrieved parties with gunshots and smoke from heavy teargas canisters.
The chaos inside and outside the market, especially on Ikorodu Road, led to heavy traffic, forcing Ketu, Mile 12, and Ikorodu commuters to stay away from the area.
Reacting to the incident, the spokesperson for the Lagos Police Command, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the clashes, stating that the perpetrators of the violence would be tracked and arrested.
Confirming that normalcy has been restored in Owode Onirin, Hundeyin disclosed that the police is already searching for the brains behind the disruption of trading activities inside the auto spare parts market.
According to him, a policeman was severely injured during the violent clash, and he is currently in a life-threatening condition at the hospital.
“Normalcy has been restored in the Owode Onirin area of Lagos State. The Commissioner of Police, CP Olohundare Jimoh, just left the area after an on-the-spot assessment. Also, efforts are in top gear to apprehend the perpetrators of the unrest.
To sustain the normalcy, the Commissioner of Police has retained the deployment of adequate police personnel at the scene of the incident to prevent resurgence of the crisis.
During the clash between the traders and the land grabbers, three persons sustained fatal injuries, and a Police Inspector was seriously injured.
The three fatally injured persons were confirmed dead when they were rushed to the hospital by the Police, while the Police Inspector injured is in a critical and life-threatening condition at the hospital where he is receiving treatment,” he said.
Recall that on the 2nd of June, the Lagos High Court issued an injunction for all parties to maintain the status quo, adjourning to July 2 and later October 13, 2025.
