Alaba Rago traders demand dissolution of caretaker committee, election

Alaba Rago traders demand dissolution of caretaker committee, election

Traders at Alaba Rago Market in Ojo, Lagos State, on Tuesday demanded the dissolution of the market’s Interim Caretaker Committee, led by Alhaji Hussain Lajiawa, and called for fresh elections.

The traders made the demand during a protest at the market to express dissatisfaction with the committee’s management.

They later visited Area E Police Command, FESTAC, to formally communicate their grievances to the police.

The police asked the traders to return on Thursday with all sectional heads and two representatives to meet with the Area Commander and agree on a date for the election.

Market sources told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the traders had earlier petitioned the Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies over the matter.

The protesters carried placards with inscriptions such as “Lajiawa Must Go Now,” “Enough of Shop and Revenue Racketeering,” “Stop Selling Our Market Land to Strangers” and “We Want An Election, Your Time is Due”.

They alleged that the committee had failed to protect their interests and called for an elected leadership to improve market administration.

NAN reports that the Lagos State Government took over the market in 2025 and rebranded it Alaba Transnational Market.

The market is undergoing redevelopment, with government-appointed developers demolishing old stalls and constructing modern shops and other structures.

Alhaji Adamu Uman-Katogum, Chairman of the Alaba Rago Market Cattle-Ram Dealers Association, said the interim committee was appointed in 2021 for a six-month tenure.

He said the committee was expected to conduct elections within that period to usher in a new market leadership.

He said the committee had remained in office for nearly six years without conducting elections.

Uman-Katogum alleged that the committee had failed to adequately represent traders, particularly those operating in the ram section, which he said accounted for 85 per cent of the market.

He also alleged that original shop owners were being denied allocations in the new structures without compensation.

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“The developers are working in tandem with the committee to dislodge our people from the market where they have been trading for years.

“The memorandum of understanding we entered into with the government on the market’s development did not state that we should be denied shops during the new allocation,” he said.

Similarly, Mr Shaiabu Ibrahim, Secretary of the association, alleged that several traders who owned multiple shops before the demolition had failed to secure spaces in the new structures.

He also alleged that the allocation and outright sale of shops, overseen by the committee and state authorities, had shortchanged traders.

Ibrahim further raised concerns over alleged financial irregularities, insisting that the committee no longer represented the traders’ interests.

He said the traders had made their position known to the authorities and would not accept the committee’s continued leadership.

Speaking at the meeting, Lajiawa told police officers and some traders at the meeting at Area E Police Command that the committee had worked to protect traders’ interests.

He said the state government had directed the committee to remain in office until the completion of the market’s ongoing reconstruction.

However, Lajiawa did not provide documentary evidence to substantiate the alleged extension of the committee’s tenure.