Ibadan, Oyo State – Residents and traders of the popular Ojoo market in the Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo State were gripped with panic as the state government demolished scores of shops and kiosks in the area on Thursday.
According to PUNCH’s report, the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development had served the traders a quit notice a long time ago, but they refused to move out of the market.
The Chairman of the market, Muhdeen Ganiyu, popularly known as Elewedu, told a correspondent that the quit notice was too short. He stated that the executive members of all the affected markets would meet after the demolition exercise to discuss the situation.
When contacted, the Commissioner for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Williams Akin-Funmilayo, confirmed the ongoing demolition exercise. He explained that the State Governor, Seyi Makinde, had personally addressed the traders and that the government would provide another place for them, as the current location was deemed dangerous.
“The new place is not far, just at the front of the Barracks,” the Commissioner added.
The demolition exercise has left many traders in the area in a state of panic, as they struggle to cope with the loss of their livelihoods and the uncertainty of their future.
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