A 65‑year‑old security guard was shot dead by hoodlums whom traders accused of setting their shops ablaze at the spare‑parts market in Kirikiri, Olodi‑Apapa, Ajegunle, Lagos State. The traders, seen wailing over their burnt goods, said the hoodlums invaded the market in the early hours of Wednesday. They alleged that six masked men first attempted to set the market on fire last Thursday but were resisted by security personnel. The same group returned, shot the security guard and ignited the market.
One trader, Okwuchukwu Maduka, told our correspondent that merchants lost goods worth millions of naira, leaving them in confusion. “Look at what some people have done to us after labouring for so many years. They shot the security man who questioned them; they stood and waited for the fire to spread before they left. How am I going to start my life again? The government should know what to do. If nothing is done, these people will destroy more markets. Let the government not fold its hands; let them come here and see what is happening because we are not happy. I have lost over N20 million worth of goods,” he said.
Another trader, identified only as Collins, said the goods in the shop he had been using after his former boss settled with him two years ago were burnt. “All that I laboured for has become scrap. I lost goods worth N3 million. I sold the scraps to an aboki for N1,500. When the firefighters came, they didn’t have enough water, so they left and returned later with water and gas, but everything was gone by then,” he explained.
A third trader, Kelechi, recounted that he learned of the fire around 4 a.m. “I was called that my shop was on fire, ran to the market and saw it burning. The men who set the market ablaze were six in number, wearing black suits, hoods, and carrying guns. For more than 22 years I have sold car spare parts here, but everything turned to ash. I didn’t even pick out a pin; I am starting my life from scratch. Those people think we will become slaves, but God is watching,” he said.
The Director of Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Adeseye Margaret, issued a statement saying the fire started at about 3:28 a.m. The Ajegunle Fire Station was dispatched, and upon arrival crews found rows of auto‑spare‑parts shops engulfed. Sari‑Iganmu and Ilupeju fire crews joined the effort to contain the blaze and protect a nearby filling station. A male adult was recovered at the scene by the Tolu Police Division, while the Lagos Neighborhood and Safety Corps and the Red Cross also attended.
State Police Public Relations Officer Benjamin Hundeyin confirmed that the security guard was shot dead, adding that the victim’s body has been taken to the mortuary and an investigation is ongoing.
In a statement conveyed by Senior Special Assistant to the President for Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, President Muhammadu Buhari expressed deep sadness over the death of the guard and the loss of property and livelihood for traders at the Akere spare‑parts market. Governor Babajide Sanwo‑Olu also commiserated with the traders and voiced shock at the incident. The Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate, Abdulazeez Adediran, and the Labour Party candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes‑Vivour, likewise offered their condolences to the affected traders.
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