A 68-year-old woman known as Alhaja Iyabo, who reportedly lost more than N50 million cash during the ongoing demolition of shanties in the Alaba Rago market area of Ojo by the Lagos State Government, has passed away.
Alhaja Iyabo, a rice and beans trader, is said to have suffered a heart problem upon realizing that her earnings from the weekend, stored in a safe in her shop, had disappeared during the Sunday morning demolition.
On May 15, the state’s task force issued a notice to remove squatters and occupants of illegal structures in Alaba Rago, instructing them to vacate immediately.
Market leaders estimated that traders’ losses could amount to N50 billion. They mentioned that bags of rice, beans, and livestock were among the items lost during the demolition.
Numerous traders, including Alhaja Iyabo, had stored their weekend earnings in safes within the market, intending to deposit the money in the bank on Monday.
Mallam Ibrahim Hamad Namari, who heads the cow dealers in Alaba Rago market, mentioned that they were not informed in advance about the demolition set for Sunday morning.
CSP Shola Jejeloye, leading the state task force, stated that the removal notice was based on a previous one issued on May 19, 2022.
Mallam Namari explained that the state task force had only provided a removal notice to a specific section of the market without specifying a start date for the demolition.
He further mentioned that after making sales on Saturday, they stored their earnings in safes in their various shops, planning to deposit the money at the bank on Monday. The next morning, on Sunday, they were surprised to hear about the demolition.
And when they got to the market, everything had disappeared. Alhaja Iyabo’s passing was a result of the distress caused by losing her money.
Nushubau Ahmad, the secretary of the yam dealers, mentioned that the total losses could be as much as N50 billion.
