Traders at the popular Owonifari Market at Oshodi were shocked Wednesday morning when they arrived the market only to find out that officials of the Lagos State Government have bulldozed it to the ground.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the state government had earlier closed the market to curb security challenges within the Oshodi metropolis.
The demolition of the 40-year-old market, it was gathered, was directly supervised in the earlier hours of Wednesday by the Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode.
Also on ground to supervise the demolition were the Commissioner for Environment, Dr Babatunde Adejare, officials of Kick Against Indiscipline (KIA), police and some other top government officials.
A director in the Ministry of Environment, who is the head of the demolition task force, declined to comment when contacted by the NAN.
NAN learnt that the affected traders and shop owners had been relocated to the new Isopakodowo Market at Bolade Area of Oshodi.
NAN also reports that the state government had said in a statement that it planned to transform the market into an ultra-modern bus terminus with new bus shelters befitting a structured park in a mega city.
The demolition was said to have been completed at about 7:45 a.m.
