Residents and traders who carry out their legitimate businesses around Dutse Alhaji, a community in the Bwari Area Council (BAC), were yesterday greeted with the sight of bulldozers which reduced their once popular community market to rubbles. A victim who would not mention his name told reporters that security men stormed the scene as early as 5am, while the bulldozing began as early as 6am.
The Chairman of Shop Owners Association of Dutse Market, David Okuawo, said the shop owners had no prior knowledge of the demolition. “The traders, according to BAC said they had series of meeting , but as far as we are concerned, we, the shop owners, are the landlords of the market. Instead of calling us for a meeting, they (BAC) were meeting with the traders. So we went to court and sought a court injunction where it was agreed that there will be no demolition until we have had a talk. But we were surprised this morning to see them come to demolish the market,” he said.
As regards the agreement between the BAC and the shop owners, Oguawo continues, “The BAC sold an empty land and we built it and that is the right we have to be shop owners. They gave us allocation letters and we have been paying levies and dues to the area council. For some of us, there was an agreement where ownership was to expire after 15/25 years respectively. Some of the certificates have life duration and have not expired. We have all these information”
In their reaction which refuted claims that the traders had no idea about the demolition, the Head of Department of Environment in the Area Council, Haruna Labaran said, “The traders were sufficiently notified of the demolition. In fact, we should have demolished since last month before the fasting, but they pleaded that we should wait, that immediately after Sallah, we should come and do our job. So we came after Sallah and mobilized them. In fact, we were here until 6pm with them yesterday, so they are very aware of the demolition.”
The HOD justified the need for the demolition by saying, “We have a new structure and we want to erect a modern market which is for their own benefit. I have no idea of the cost implication because it is a private partnership between the traders and the BAC, but there is an alternative arrangement for them, which they have refused to move to, but with the demolition, they would be forced to move there now”
He added that it is only the chairman of BAC that can speak on who is a shop owner and who is a trader. Meanwhile, the traders maintained that the BAC never alerted them of the demolitions as no discussions were held between the council and shop owners.
According to a trader who lost her shop to the demolition, Janet Oladapo, “There wasn’t any written announcement; it was just rumors that they were going to demolish. There was never a meeting between us (traders) and the BAC. The chairman of the market traders was the only one going to meet with them.”
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