A video making the rounds on social media claimed that Igbo traders were locked outside the Akorede market in Lagos state for no reason on April 3, 2023.
The video claimed that the Local Council Development Authority (LCDA) chairman, (not LGA) ordered the locking of the market for no reason whatsoever.
However, the video made insinuations that the reason for the locking out of the traders is a result of the “fall-out of the just-concluded election where some section of the country residing in Lagos were being ordered to leave Lagos, or be frustrated out.”
Claim
Igbo traders in Akorede market, Lagos state were ordered to be locked outside by the Local Council Development Authority (LCDA) chairman for no reason.
Background
Violence, intimidation, and ethnic strife were recorded between the Yoruba and Igbo ethnic groups in Lagos during the 2023 general election which took place on February 25 and March 18.
Peter Obi, an Igbo and the Labour Party (LP) candidate, won the majority votes in Lagos state ahead of the All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Tinubu, who’s Yoruba, and a former governor of the State.
Some Yoruba people became agitated after Obi’s victory, and claimed that the Igbos residing in Lagos state wanted to ‘dominate’ the state by voting Labour Party.
As a result, hoodlums and political thugs openly attacked and harassed Igbo voters during the gubernatorial election in Lagos state, asking them to leave the polling units except if they were voting for the APC.
Verification
The CDD Election War Room reached out to a number of the traders who were locked out of the market but they all declined to comment on the incident.
However, we found that traders locked out of the market were not just Igbo traders. Traders from other parts of the country were also affected, but a majority of those affected were Igbo.
Acknowledging the market shutdown, the senior special assistant (SSA) to the governor of Lagos State on New Media, Jubril Gawat, made clarifications about the video on his personal Twitter page on April 4, 2023.
Gawat maintained that the reason for locking out the said traders was because of the following reasons:
-Using cart pushers to pack refuse instead of the Lagos State Waste Management Agency (LAWMA);
-Dumping of refuse along Oshodi-Apapa Expressway; and
-Abuse on the council staff, resisting them from performing their legitimate duties in the Market.
Gawat has also stated that the market has since reopened on April 3, and normal activities have resumed.
Verdict
The claim that Igbo traders were locked out of the Akorede market for no reason is false. Traders were locked out for violating the market rules and regulations.
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