Ladipo traders protest arrest, detention of leader

Ladipo Market traders, under the aegis of Traders Association of Aguiyi Ironsi Complex in Lagos State, have protested the continued detention of their leader, Jonathan Okoli, by security operatives.
The angry traders said the detention was unwarranted, unlawful and violation of Okoli’s fundamental human rights.
They said the arrest was part of an orchestrated plan by some mischief makers to cause mayhem and to give the government the impression of insecurity in the market.
They fingered a female police commissioner, whom they claimed had been using a faction of the traders to foment trouble in the market.
The placard-carrying traders sang solidarity songs round the market, saying they would resist any attempt to impose leaders on them.
Some of the placards read, “Jonathan Okoli is the Mandela of our own time – Without Okoli, there will be nothing like Ladipo Market”, “Tribalism should be stopped”, “Stop this tribalism against Igbo traders”, among others.
Leading the protesters on Saturday, Secretary, TAAC, Mr. Christian Ibegbunam, said the arrest of Okoli was a breach of trust by the State Security Service.
He said, “Our President, Mr. Jonathan Okoli, received a call from one SSS personnel that their boss wanted to see him (Okoli) in their office. Since he had no skeleton in his cupboard, he went to their office. From there, they took him to the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, with a petition by the agents of a female commissioner of police.
“Okoli was detained at State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba, since last Wednesday without being allowed bail.”
Ibegbunam said the allegation that the market was under any security threat against genuine traders was a “blatant lie” aimed at deceiving the government and the general public.
He said since March this year, the market had been peaceful, stressing that traders had been conducting their business without fear.
Ibegbunam said, “Members of our association want to use this medium to warn these agents of crisis in our market to repent from their evil ways and toe the line of peace.
“It should be noted that a committee has already been set up in the mega Ladipo Market to resolve the issues and proffer lasting solutions. They should accept the fact that there cannot be genuine progress in an atmosphere of crisis.”
A faction of the traders during their protest recently at the Lagos State House of Assemby had alleged that they had been denied access to their shops for close to one year by the Okoli-led executive.
The traders have been enmeshed in leadership tussle for a long time resulting in two factions.
A faction, under the aegis of Stakeholders Forum, had urged the Assembly to implement its resolutions of May 7 which recommended the dissolution of the market leadership as a measure to address the crisis.
Former spokesman for the Okoli executive, Uchechukwu Ikpo, had told PUNCH Metro during their protest at LAHA that since Okoli refused to leave after the expiration of his tenure in 2009, the market had not known any peace.
Former General Secretary, Anthony Nwazelibe, had said, “I was elected on the same day with Okoli. We were elected on April 6, 2007 and our tenure expired on April 7, 2009. Since that time, he has refused to leave. I had to quit my position when I noticed he was not willing to leave.”
Okoli had told PUNCH Metro before his arrest that he was not interested in perpetuating himself in office and that he was ready to quit as soon as all issues in the market were resolved