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By Christopher Oji
Traders at the Police Officers Wives Association (POWA) Shopping Complex, Computer Village, Ikeja, Lagos, have raised the alarm over plans by a group of people, parading themselves as policemen, using the name of the wife of the Inspector-General of Police, Mrs. Elizabeth Egbetokun, to demolish their complex.
A senior police officer was alleged to have connived with a property developer to displace thousands of traders in the complex, on the directive of Mrs. Egbetokun.
Addressing journalists, yesterday, in Lagos, the immediate past chairman of the traders, Mr. Tobechuwku Maxwell, lamented the implication of the proposed demolition on their business and families’ well-being, and called on Mrs Egbetokun, who is the POWA president, to intervene and stop the impostors from carrying out their sinister motive. He said it was not the first time such a demolition threat had come up in the complex.
He said: “We are appealing to the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, to use his good offices to fish out those behind the illegality. If we are thrown out of the complex in this harsh economic period, where do they expect us to start from?
“We are appealing to him to help us. We are law-abiding traders trying to make a living through legitimate means. If we are pushed out of the market, thousands of us will lose our means of livelihood, and those who depend on us will also suffer. Please help us, sir.
“The plaza is owned by wives and widows of former police officers and serving officers. In 2019, the complex was marked for demolition and when we inquired from Abuja, we got information that a developer, who was desperate to have access to the complex was the one making effort to chase us out of the complex. Unlike 2019 when we got a notice of demolition, this time we were only told to move out. We are hearing from a grapevine that the developer and others wanted to pull the building down and vandalise our various goods worth billions of naira.”
The Iyaloja of Computer Village, Mrs. Abisola Azeez, said when the complex was being built, she was part of those who funded the building.
“It is only God that’s keeping us till date. When we moved in, the agreement they told us they had with the developers was 10 years, because we made initial payment for three years. The issue is that whenever a new person comes into power, they always wanted to do something.
“This time around, they came and said they wanted to demolish the building. We have been keeping the place neat, we procured the transformer and do everything on our own. We have upgraded the complex to a befitting plaza. Surprisingly, I don’t know why they want to dislodge us all and bring new people; there is no structural defect, they shouldn’t use Lagos officials to chase us out.
The only time we got notice of demolition was from one achiever property and it turned out to be lie. If they want increments we can sit down and discuss it. The Inspector General of Police should help us.”
The current Chairman, Computer Dealers Association, Mr. Tayo Shittu, said some people were hiding under the guise of being sent by the IGP’s wife to demolish the complex.
“We are patriotic Nigerians. We pay our taxes and we also pay our rents regularly. We were told the IGP’s wife gave them two months to finish their work and leave the complex.
“A similar incident occurred exactly four years ago, when a group of persons came and claimed the then IGP’s wife sent them to demolish the complex, which turned out be a lie.
“In order to perfect their act, they brought someone who claimed to be an official of the Lagos State Ministry of Works to measure the whole complex on July 30, 2023, when nobody was around. Our investigation showed that they were fake.
“We deserve a fair treatment because 20 years ago, the complex was a bush and we transformed it to what it is today. We believe it is not possible to carry out such demolition without the knowledge of the head of POWA, which is the wife of the IGP. That is why we are appealing to her to come to our help, as a mother.”
