Traders at the bustling Maple Village market in Bwari Area Council of the FCT have received a one-week notice to vacate a specific area of the market. This section is currently designated for parking lots, hospitals, and fire and police stations.
Next Edition understands that officials from the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and the Bwari Area Council personally delivered the notice to the traders during their visit to the market.
A significant number of traders at the market had found themselves in conflict with their fellow traders who were allegedly collaborating with the Bwari Area Council authorities and a private developer overseeing the ongoing remodelling of the market.
These traders obstructed the team’s efforts to reclaim the area reserved for the construction of essential facilities such as a parking lot, hospital, fire and police stations, which are integral to the market’s remodelling project.
The trouble began when leaders of the affected traders engaged in a verbal altercation with their colleagues who were allegedly cooperating with the government officials to regain control of the aforementioned space.
While some disgruntled traders expressed their dissatisfaction, others opted to resort to throwing stones, resulting in a tumultuous situation.
In an interview with reporters, Bwari Area Council’s Head of Logistics, Mr. Audu Amos, mentioned that the concept of renovating the market was first developed in 2005.
Amos further explained that two years ago, the ministerial task force evacuated the area due to security concerns in Mpape.
Likewise, the CEO of Shape Ideas Project Ltd, the private firm overseeing the project, Dr Amunega Ajayi, stated that when they began construction at the site, the impacted traders requested to stay until the space was required.
“When we were given the allocation to come and work here, they came to me that they didn’t have anywhere else to go, that we should just allow them to stay in the market. I said fine, but when we finish building shops, they must vacate the car park. Unfortunately, that was a great mistake that we made at that time.
“So, we called that we had finished building the market, but we needed to build the police station, a hospital in the market, a fire service office in the market and even the civil defence office, but they said no, that they were in court.
“The last time we went to court, they said they wanted a settlement with us. The judge said they should go and meet us for settlement, which they never did. They wanted us to stop working completely. But on that day, the court vacated all orders to stop us from working. That was why we continued working on the site,” she said.
Nevertheless, a prominent figure among the disgruntled traders who decided to pursue legal action, Alhaji Awwal Abdul Dogo, emphasized that despite being informed in court that their market allocations had lapsed, they managed to secure a court order allowing them to continue their trading operations at the location until the issue is resolved, Naija News reports.
He said, “We were the ones local government gave allocation, we built our shops ourselves, and at the end, the local government said they wanted to collect the market, but we know we have our rights and documents, so we took the matter to court.
“Three days after we came back from the court, they brought a task force to chase us away. I asked what we had done. It was not like they asked us for dialogue, and we didn’t comply.
“But now they said it’s dialogue they want, we are ready for that. They know our lawyer and we know their lawyer. We are ready to move out only if that’s the conclusion of the court.”
Commenting on the development, former Mpape market Chairman, Alhaji Sa’idu Shuaibu Baru, emphasized that they received proper notification regarding the ongoing remodeling project.
