LAGOS – Governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, cut short his campaign on Wednesday to visit the Akere spare parts market in Olodi Apapa, to sympathise with the traders, who lost goods worth hundreds of millions of naira, in the early morning fire, believed to have been ignited by thugs.
The fire is coming against the mounting apprehension, which has engulfed Lagos, since some people claiming to be supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC), warning residents of the state, particularly the Igbo, of hard times, should they go ahead and vote other candidates outside incumbent, Babajid Sanwo-Olu, who is a member of the party.
They particularly riled against an attempt to vote for Rhodes-Vivour, whom they termed an Igbo man, due to his having an Igbo mother and an Igbo wife, a development, which they said was akin to an agenda by Ndigbo to take over and dominate Lagos.
The tension had heightened since Peter Obi, the LP presidential candidate, beat Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, former Governor of Lagos State and presidential candidate of the APC, in the February 25 presidential election, despite the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), declaring him the overall winner.
The LP candidate, sporting his trademark white attire caftan and a cap to match, arrived the scene of the inferno to the warm embrace of a cheering crowd and left a donation of N15million as a token to comfort the traders, while promising that such acts of brigandage would be a thing of the past in his government.
Reports say the hoodlums before setting the market located at Akere a suburb of Ajegunle in the Apapa area of Lagos State, killed a 65-year-old security guard in the market, whose lifeless body, was reportedly recovered near the scene of the incident.
Director of Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service (LSFRS) Adeseye Margaret, while confirming the incident, said in a statement on Wednesday, that the fire started at about 3:28 am, adding that the Ajegunle Fire Station was the first respondent.
Adeseye, who said that the cause of the fire would require an investigation to account for the number of lockup shops and wares lost, said: “Upon arrival, it was discovered that rows of shops that traded in auto spare parts were well alight that led to Sari-Iganmu and Ilupeju Fire Crews of the Agency joining up to subdued the raging Fire and salvage a nearby major market Petroleum Filling Station with a fully loaded 33,000 liters PMS tanker amongst other adjoining buildings.
“However, a male adult was recovered by the Tolu Police Division of the Nigerian Police around the scene while the Lagos Neighborhood and Safety Corps and the Red Cross were also in attendance.”
Also confirming the incident, Benjamin Hundeyin, a Superintendent of Police and spokesman of the Lagos State Police Command, said, “A 65-year-old security guard in the market was shot dead. We have identified him and his corpse has been taken to the mortuary. An investigation is ongoing.”
Daily Review quotes an official of the Red Cross at the scene as confirming that the market was burnt down but he did not provide further information on who was responsible.
Reacting to the incident, an online user, identified as Frazee, said, “Akere spare parts market olodi Apapa is not so big because it’s in a residential area. So you have about two to three Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) members guarding the market at night. Igbos have become a target this period.
“Politicians are really using brainwashed people to forment trouble. Burning people’s means of livelihood just because of a stupid agenda is the lowest. In less than four months, the market will stand again, the people are so cooperative and financially strong.”
“So it is just one security man that secures such a market? The Igbos in Lagos need to be more vigilant and security awake. The enemies of good governance are not going to be taking things easy with them. This is a fight they must win. If they don’t successfully dislodge Lagos from the grip of these evil cartels come next gubernatorial poll, they will all be doomed,” another man, Pierocash added.
