Crisis engulfs Balogun market

Crisis rocks Balogun Market

….As thugs backed by heavily armed Police detachment storm market
…Invades market By 3am to enforce Questionable Court Order, Foist A New Leadership

Emmanuel lkpeama

Crisis yesterday rocked the popular Multi Billion Naira Balogun Business Association,International Market, located at the Trade Fair International Complex Lagos State, as thugs allegedly loyal to a faction but accompanied by heavily armed police officers, Invaded the Market by 3am in the morning, to enforce a questionable court Judgement Forceful Foisting Chief Oscar Odogwu, as new President of the market.

Report has it that the traders where protesting, even as Market Caretaker Committee leadership vows to throw out the Illegal Government.

Some of the Traders at the crisis ridden Balogun Business Association International Market, Lagos State ,have condemned the wee hours invasion, property destruction , colossal damages to sections of their market and wounding of market security officers by armed thugs, who were said to have been backed by heavily armed police detachment .
Nation Update gathered that the market around 11 am yesterday saw the visibly angry, obviously shaken and traumatized traders, who vowed to resist the new but unpopular Chief Oscar Odogwu’s led leadership, which they said was unlawful foisted on them by the invaders on Wednesday, November 22nd , 2023.

They however commended the rare high level of maturity,civilization,safety consciousness and law abiding attitude exhibited by the legitimate Care taker committee of BBA, led by Hon. Chief Anselem Duru , during the Wednesday 3am unlawful invasion and forceful take of the market leadership and Secretariat by Oscar Odogwu and Alex Obi – Odunukwe’s thugs and police,who allegedly invaded the market to foist an illegal market leadership.

According to one of the visibly angry traders, Chief Polycarp Nwankwo said, “the refusal by Hon. Duru Led ICC to resort to self help and confrontation with thugs, but resigned to rule of law, was the saving grace that avoided Imminent bloodbath , possible breakdown of law and order, as heavily armed thugs backed by Police Officers besiege BBA lagos market complex to enforce controversial court Order” he stated.
Investigation revealed that thousands of angry traders at the Multi billion Naira BBA International market, located at the Trade Fair Complex, Ojo, along the Lagos/Badagry Expressway, Lagos, were vexed over the forceful foisting of what they described as a new unwarranted and unwanted leadership on them .
They also condemned the alleged manhandling of the legitimate Chief Security Officer, CSO of the market , Chief Chinaedu Ezebuadi and his security colleagues, who were said to have been brutally beaten by the invaders , who stormed the market ,3am, early Wednesday morning , using hired thugs , accompanied by a detachment of heavily armed Police officers, suspected to be from the State Command, whose mission they said , was to unlawfully foist a new leadership in the crisis ridden market as there are palpable fears, with tension running high, as some breakaway members of the association led by one Chief Oscar Odogwu, allegedly backed by over 300 armed police officers , “on a mission to enforce a dubious and questionable court order , in a very dangerous attempt to foist an unknown and unrecognized members of the Association on the teeming traders in the market, in contravention of subsisting orders and decisions of the Federal High Court”.
The traders are envisaging a total breakdown of Law and Order, if due process and rule of law that has been truncated, is not restored immediately,which they fear may lead to bloodbath, as it had once happened in the same market years ago.

They therefore called on the Inspector General of the Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, to intervene and call the Lagos State Police Command to order.

Speaking, the legally recognized Caretaker Committee CTC, led by Honourable Anselm Dunu and the Secretary, Chief Leonard Ogbonnia, had Stated in an interview that the new phase of the crisis that had been rocking the market association started after Chief Okey Ezeibe allegedly took some of his loyalists to an obscure area outside the market and Conducted an illegal election in which unpopular and unrecognized persons, including Chief Oscar Odogwu,were purportedly elected as leaders of the association to the chagrin of other members who felt the reign of Chief Ezeibe as President and Board of Trustee, BOT Chairman, had lapsed and therefore,

conducting an election outside the market runs contrary to their Constitution.

“It was this kangaroo and unlawful election in a hotel outside our market,that Oscar Odogwu and his co- travellers , used in initiating a court proceedings against individuals. For record purposes and emphasis, Odogwu’s court case was not with our organization called BBA , not with the caretaker committee.The deceived the court, the police,collected illegal Judgement with which they came to our market by 3am in the morning , broke into the security office, destroying things, manhandling our security personnel and Unlawfully took over leadership of the market .How can police Officers invade a market at the wee hours of the day, when market had long closed to enforce a questionable court Order . IGP Kayode Egbetokun, The Judiciary,Federal and State governments, should urgently intervene, so as to restore the democratic Hope of common man and our genuine traders”, The oldest Member, BBA Board Of Trustees, BOT, Chief Nick Okeke, lamented.
Meanwhile, Chief leonard Ogbonnia, frowned at what he described as Odogwu’s group deception and love for illegalities, “considering that just on Monday all parties in several Federal High Court cases, including this invaders, were in court for peaceful settlement and resolutions of cases and issues in the market “he submitted.