Tension In Ladipo Market, As Lagos Court Sends Executives To Prison

CYRIACUS IZUEKWE

There was tension at Ladipo Market in Mushin, Lagos over the arrest and remand of almost all  the market executives  in Ikoyi Prison.

The executives, under the cental body known as LASEC headed by Comrade Kinsley Ogunor, were first rounded up by the police at Zone 2 Command, Onikan,Lagos before they were charged at Igbosere Magistrate court from where they were remanded in the prison custody since last week .

P.M.EXPRESS reports that the market had known no peace since last year after a trader, Anene Utasi, was shot dead by suspected thugs allegedly led by Monday Lawrence.

The death caused uproar in  the market which resulted in a lingering crisis that had caused destruction of many properties until the Lagos Commissioner of Police , Mr Fatai  Owoseni intervened to restore peace .

Lawrence was arrested and charged with murder after Directorate of Public Prosecution,DPP stated that  Lawrence has a case to answer over Utasi’s death.

However, the arrest of Ogunor and five of his executives had to do with the malicious damage done to Lawrence`s properties in the market worth millions of naira.

Our correspondent gathered that Lawrence through his counsel wrote a petition to the police which prompted the arrest and arraignment of the executives, few other executives were said to be on the run .

According to Lawrence, the executives during the fracas invaded his shop and that of his wife and allegedly destroyed their properties.

P.M .EXPRESS gathered that when the police initially  invited the leaders, they ignored the invitation until they were arrested and charged to court .

At the Igbosere court where they were arraigned, the court granted the accused people bails in the sum of the N500,000 with two sureties in the like sum .

They were remanded in the prison custody pending when they will perfect their bail conditions .

When our correspondent visited the market, the traders were in groups discussing the matter. One of the traders said they are in the market without leaders.

Our correspondent’s finding revealed that the leaders have fled due to police hunting for other suspects .