Isolo market leaders, traders lock horns over 'strange' water — News — The Guardian Nigeria News

The decision to lock up shops allegedly belonging to non-indigenous traders in Isolo Market, Isolo Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Lagos, has provoked a storm between market leaders and the affected traders.

The Guardian learned that trouble started on August 8, 2024, when the non-indigenous traders were offered strange water to drink. It was gathered that traders who refused to drink the ‘prayer water’ were locked out of their shops. White ropes were tied around their premises until about 6:00 pm when the shops were reopened after a truce brokered.

One of the traders who spoke with The Guardian on condition of anonymity said: “Whenever they are carrying out their sacrifice in the market, they will tell us that they are doing prayers. After completing their incantations, they take water and a glass cup to the traders to drink.

“The Igbo refused, and when they resumed on Friday, their shops were locked and barricaded with white ropes. They refused to open them until a woman in the market went to plead on their behalf before they were allowed to sell at about 6:00 pm

“They had threatened to prevent them from selling for two days for refusing to drink the water, but the intervention of the woman reduced the punishment to hours, and they later allowed them to open.”

When asked if the Igbo were deliberately singled out, he said: “Only the Igbo were asked to drink the water.” A female trader, who pleaded anonymity for safety concerns, said: “They brought water for us to drink, but we rejected it. They said that after the person who prayed drank, everyone must drink the water, but I and others refused, and they asked us not to sell.”

An eyewitness and pepper seller in the market, Olaitan Saidat, said: “They did the prayer. The person who prayed drank the water first and asked the rest to drink, but they (Igbo) protested, so they locked up their shops.”

When The Guardian reached out to the Iya Oloja (market leader), popularly known as Alhaja, she demanded the identity of the traders who spoke about the incident before responding.

“I need to know the name of the person who called your office. All of them must speak on the issue and tell me if anything was added to the water before they were given or if I took anything from them before their shops were reopened. I must know the person, or they will not be in the market.”