Feyisayo Ogunbiyi
Traders of South-East extraction in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State, on Saturday, staged a protest and shut down their shops to express outrage over the gruesome killing of one of their own, Mrs. Blessing Eze, allegedly by tax-collecting touts.
PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the incident occurred on Friday, June 6, during the Eid-el-Kabir festivities when local touts reportedly stormed the market demanding a ₦1,500 “festival levy” from traders.
According to eyewitnesses, Eze, who sold food items in the market, pleaded with the tax collectors to return later as she had not made any sales and could not afford the levy at the time.
Her appeal was reportedly met with hostility as the touts began to destroy her goods. An altercation ensued, during which one of them stabbed her in the chest, leading to her death.
A fellow trader, Mrs. Chiamaka Eze, explained that the late Eze was attacked for simply requesting time to raise the levy. “She told them she didn’t have the money yet and asked that they come back.
They began to scatter her goods. When she tried to stop them, one of them pulled out a knife and stabbed her. She died before she could be helped,” she recounted.
The killing has sparked outrage among the Igbo community in the area, prompting the Igbo Market Traders Union to declare a four-day mourning period. During this time, traders have vowed not to open their shops as a mark of respect and protest.
Simon Uchenna, a member of the market union, described the incident as the climax of persistent harassment and extortion faced by traders in the market.
“This isn’t the first time these touts are attacking people here. We have been tolerating their oppression for too long. Now, they’ve taken a life, and we will not be silent,” he said.
Another trader recounted a similar incident involving his wife last year, alleging that the attacker was the son of a prominent market official and that no justice was served despite reports made to the police.
“They told me to drop the case because the boy’s father had influence. Now, another life has been lost,” he lamented.
The protesters are calling on the Ogun State Government and security agencies to investigate the killing and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.
They also demanded an end to the unchecked activities of tax touts in the market, which they claim has put their lives and livelihoods at risk.
“Paying festival money should be a voluntary gesture, not a violent imposition,” said another trader, Okoye Chizoba. “Our lives are at stake. We need protection, not persecution.”
As of the time of filing this report, the Ogun State Government and the police were yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
The closure of shops has caused significant disruption to commercial activities in Ifo, with many residents calling on authorities to urgently address the traders’ grievances and restore normalcy.
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