Outrage has trailed the demolition of over 1,000 traders’ stalls at Mile 2, Lagos, after operatives of the state government dislodged street traders in the area.
The traders, who spoke with Lagos Reporters, lamented that they had consistently paid allocation fees to local council task force agents for years, only for the state government to suddenly brand the trading spots as illegal.
“We did not just wake up one day and start selling here; we paid for this spot,” one affected trader said in tears, as others decried the loss of their livelihood amid biting economic hardship.
Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, however, defended the operation in a statement on X (formerly Twitter).
“Our enforcement team is currently dislodging illegal street traders constituting nuisance at 2nd Rainbow Junction, inward Mile 2. These activities obstruct traffic flow, endanger pedestrians, and litter the environment,” Wahab stated.
The demolition has left the displaced traders accusing local council agents of exploitation, while the state government insists the locations remain illegal.