Burnt Akere market: ’Gbadebo gave us money to rebuild our shops’– Traders

Candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the March 11 governorship election in Lagos, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, Wednesday, donated the sum of N15 million to victims of the Akere market fire disaster, barely hours after political party thugs alleged to be of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) razed the Igbo traders-dominated spare parts market located along the Kirikiri Road axis of Ajegunle in the Ajeromi-Ifelodun local government area of the state, on Wednesday.

The thugs who stormed the market shooting sporadically in the early hours of Wednesday allegedly shot and killed one person in the attack, in a spate of targeted attacks at non-indigenes accused of voting against the ruling APC in the state during the ongoing election.

A male adult with gunshot wounds was also recovered around the scene of the attack.

It would be recalled that the violent targeted attacks started when the opposition Labour Party toppled the APC during the February 25 presidential polls, as Igbo ethnic minority groups were accused of voting against the ruling party and contributing to the victory of the LP in the poll.

In the February 25 presidential election, Peter Obi’s Labour Party polled 582,454 votes in Lagos to trounce the flag bearer of the APC, Bola Tinubu who scored 572,606 votes.

The aftermath of that defeat saw thugs loyal to the APC invade markets, looting shops suspected to belong to Igbo traders.

Some of the targeted markets include those on the Lagos Island, such as the Idumota, Abibu Oki, Ebute Ero, Mandilas markets, while the Computer Village, Trade Fair, Alaba, Ladipo markets on the mainland were not spared in the spate of violent attacks by the miscreants, last week.

The recent attack on the Akere spare parts market in Ajegunle in the early hours of Wednesday saw goods and other properties said to be worth millions of Naira razed by the thugs who were fully armed during the attack.

The hoodlums stormed the market around 2am on Wednesday and shot a security guard and two other persons before razing the market’s facilities.

In a video captured at the scene of the incident, a man privy to the incident confirmed that a security man and two other persons were shot dead and have been buried immediately, probably according to Muslim rites.

An official of the Red Cross at the scene also confirmed that the market was burnt down but did not provide further information on who was responsible.

Responders from the Ajegunle Fire Station, the Sari-Iganmu and Ilupeju Fire department joined others to subdue the fire and salvage a nearby filling station with a fully loaded 33,000 litres PMS tanker, amongst other adjoining buildings.

The market in Olodi Apapa is sandwiched between a residential area with members of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) providing security at night.

According to resident, Igbos have become a target this (election) period.

“Politicians are really using brainwashed people to foment trouble. Burning people’s means of livelihood just because of a stupid agenda is the lowest. In less than four months, the market will stand again; the people are so cooperative and financially strong.

“So it is just one security man that secures such a market? The Igbos in Lagos need to be more vigilant and security awake. The enemies of good governance are not going to be taking things easy with them. This is a fight they must win. If they don’t successfully dislodge Lagos from the grip of these evil cartels come next gubernatorial poll, they will all be doomed,” a resident said.

However, barely hours after the attack on the market, the LP governorship candidate, Gbadebo was the first high-profile figure to arrive the scene to sympathise with the victims, as he condemned incessant attacks on properties of non-indigenes resident in the state during the election period.

“Badagry division has been abandoned by this government for almost two decades. People are upset and voted against them and instead of them to do the work and make the people happy, they’re using intimidation and suppression by burning down their market.

“There is nothing they can do to stop what is coming, LP is going to Alausa,” Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour said at the scene after meeting with the affected traders.

Before arriving at the market, the LP governorship candidate had condemned the attack while reacting via his Twitter handle, saying: “I’m deeply concerned by reports of ethnically motivated violence reported targeting businesses across Lagos. Lagos is a beautiful state built on cooperation and harmony.

“These attacks stand condemned. I urge the Commissioner of Police to urgently investigate these and bring culprits to book.”

After inspecting the extent of damage done to the market’s facilities, Gbadebo reportedly donated the sum of N15 million to the victims, as attested to by the traders.

One of the traders who spoke in a video said he (Gbadebo) had given them money to rebuild the market and made a promise to come back and oversee its construction when he won the gubernatorial elections.

“Gbadebo has given us money that we should rebuild our market; in fact, after Saturday (March 11), when we do the needful and vote him into power, he is going to come here and he will rebuild this market by himself,” the trader said.

The cheers from the crowd drowned the rest of Gbadebo’s announcement of the donation as the excited traders lifted Rhodes-Vivour in appreciation.

Also reacting to the gesture of Gbadebo to the traders, a real estate developer and chieftain of the Labour Party, Mr Babatunde Gbadamosi, commenting via his verified Twitter handle (@BOGbadams), Wednesday, described the governorship candidate of his party as ‘a man who loves Lagos and Lagosians.’

“Governance in Lagos has been devoid of LOVE for Lagosians for the last 24 years. Here is a man who LOVES Lagos & Lagosians.

“A market is burnt the very day after the incumbent Governor promised to “protect” markets.

“The incumbent Governor is busy begging for votes all over the shop, whilst @GRVlagos, the INCOMING GOVERNOR, goes to empathise with the victims of arson.

“Lagosians, we must not miss this man,” posted Gbadamosi.

In a related development, father of the LP governorship candidate in the March 11 polls, Mr. Olawale Rhodes-Vivour, has urged Lagosians not to be afraid, but ‘come out on the 11^th,’ adding that the party has put in place strategies ahead of the Saturday elections.

Speaking during a press conference, in Ikeja, Wednesday, attended by some prominent figures in the South West politics like the Pan-Yoruba socio-political group, the Afenifere, as well as, a former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Senator Kofo Bucknor-Akerele, Mr Olawale posited that ‘it is possible to prevail against evil if Lagosians come out en masse and vote his son.’

The lawyer maintained that his son, Gbadebo ‘has character and is rugged to finish what he has started.’

“If we can see the writing on the wall that it is possible to prevail against evil, then please come out on the 11th of March and make it a resounding victory for all of us.

“Don’t be afraid, don’t be scared, come out on the 11th. We have put in place strategies.

“We are going to be proactive and not reactive on the 11th because if we got 900,000 votes and you gave us 500,000 votes, even though we beat you, still affect the overall turnout of the situation.

“Nigerians have had enough and they just want normal, decent people in the position of power.

“Gbadebo is my son. Gbadebo is not a politician; he is an activist. That is the core character of Gbadebo. “When he came out of school, he was busy leading marches to the legislature, he was debating with the minister of agriculture.

“My son is rugged enough to finish what he started.

“Gbadebo, at heart, is just a good man because he reacts violently to anything negative.

“During his activism, he realised that it is difficult to change things as an activist and he decided to go back to school to have a Masters in Political Science.”

Olawale also distanced his son from the proscribed pro-secession group in the South East, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

“Gbadebo have no time for IPOB. This boy is highly educated, highly driven. We can track is record everyday in Lagos. He has no time for IPOB. Even Obi himself has come out to say he doesn’t support IPOB,” Olawale said.