Funmi Olaitan, Ibadan

With the hearing of the suit instituted by the traders of Temidire Sawmillers Planks market, Ibadan, against the Oyo State government, five days away, over 200 stern looking policemen on Thursday forcefully ejected 600 traders from the market.

A plank seller, Lukman Gboye, was reportedly shot by the irate police officers in the ensuing melee. 

Others arrested for resisting forceful take over of the market include Ogunsola Kazeem, Muritala Mojeed, Kareem Suraju and S. A. Adekola.

While speaking with journalists, the traders, who were caught unawares by the invasion, wondered why the state Commissioner of Environment and Water Resources, Mr Isaac Ishola who led the security agents to the market failed to honour the subsisting court order of the state High Court, presided over by Justice A. A. Gbolagunte of Ibadan judicial division in suit number I/1152/2012 between the traders and Commissioner of Lands, Housing and Survey and Attorney General of Oyo state as defendants.

Counsel to the traders, Mr. Michael Lana, a former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in the state, who spoke with journalists on phone, said "today is a sad day for the rule of law and the people of Oyo state. This is a day when a democratic governor and his arrogant commissioner, Isaac Ishola used Mr. Abiodun Odude's policemen to denigrate the judiciary and violate its order of injunction granted since 2013. 

"Senator Abiola Ajimobi recklessly used the police to shoot the very people he swore on oath to protect just because, according to my clients, he wanted to sell the traders' land to a foreign interest and deprive his own people of the means of livelihoods. It is very sad."

He added that his chambers had immediately after the invasion, proceeded to file a contempt of court under Form 48 (Order IX, Rule 13) at the Registry of the Court against Environment Commissioner, Commissioner of Police and the Divisional Police Officers at Gbagi police station to bear the consequences of disobedience to ruling of the court.

However while ordering the closure of the plank market for environmental safety concerns, Ishola, cited environmental health hazards caused by the saw millers' activities as superseding ownership tangle.

He said, "The issue here is environmental not ownership. They burn sawdust here discharging dangerous emissions that cause health hazards for the people around here. The place is also prone to flooding because there is no drainage here.

"The interest of the public takes priority over individual or organisational interest. Government cannot just close its eyes when it sees people dying due to health hazards from the sawmill. All over the world, sawmill is located on the outskirts of the town but this is inside the town. So, they have to relocate to the alternative Fasade community that government has provided. Due to environmental issues, especially the health of our people, Temidire plank market is hereby closed with immediate effect"

Chairman of the traders, Mr S. A. Alabi, said a meeting was held between the Environment Commissioner last Tuesday where he threatened to shut the market for his failure to honour his invitation in a latter dated Monday, 17th July, 2017 and signed by the Ministry's Director of Admin and Supplies, Mrs. O. O. Adebusuyi.

He said he was unavoidably absent at the said meeting but sent representatives to the Commissioner and expressed shock over the "Gestapo manner with which the commissioner stormed the market with about 22 security patrol vans to disrupt our businesses", stressing that, "our people are law abiding and we pay our market rates to the government regularly, the last was paid just last Friday."

With the development, the affected saw millers protested outside the market for hours and charged towards the policemen who warned them to comport themselves.

While the saw millers are holding on to a July 11, 2013 interim order of the High Court, Ibadan, restraining their ejection, the state government said the closure stemmed from complaints by residents of the area of environmental health hazards emanating from from activities at the plank market.

Showing the court order, Financial Secretary, Temidire Saw millers Planks Market, Mr. Matthew Ojeyinka, said the state government should obey the court judgement restraining their ejection.

Speaking on why some of them have failed to move to the alternate Fasade market provided for them, he said those who relocated to Fasade were not authentic members of the saw millers association.

He further stated that a non-indigene of Oyo state and non-member of the saw millers association was foisted upon them as head at the Fasade site.

Ojeyinka echoed the willingness of members of the saw millers association to vacate the market if there is a court judgement to that effect.