A human rights groups, Centre for Human and Socio -Economic Rights (CHSR) has expressed deep pain over the tragic massacre that occurred on Wednesday, August 27, 2025 at the Owode Onirin Motor Spare Parts Market in Lagos State.
Addressing journalists on Wednesday at Excellence Hotel, Ogba, Lagos State on the issue, the President of CHSR, Comrade Alex Omotehinse, said; "On that black Wednesday, armed thugs and four trigger-happy policemen, allegedly mobilized and sponsored by a notorious land grabber, Mr. Abiodun Hakeem Ariori, stormed the Owode Motor Spare Part Market
"What followed was carnage: Six innocent traders were gunned down in cold blood. Dozens more sustained grievous injuries, some battling for survival in hospitals. Thousands of livelihoods were destroyed, families thrown in to sorrow, poverty, and despair.
"The blood of hardworking traders, fathers, mothers, brothers, and breadwinners was spilled in broad daylight, not by criminals alone, but with the active involvement of those sworn to protect lives and property.
"This horror came shortly after the illegal demolition of over 1,000 shops, carried
out despite the matter being before the Lagos High Court. This is not just violence. This is premeditated injustice.
"A Tribute To The Fallen Heroes
Let us pause and remember the names of the six traders who paid the ultimate
price: Mr. Seyi Akinboye, Mr. Adeoye Taiwo, Mr. Dare Mufutau, Mr. Aderemi Adeoye Hakeem, Mr. Abraham Idowu Temilola and Mr. Wale Adebayo.
"These were not criminals, they were innocent Nigerians striving to earn honest living, and they woke up that regrettable morning to go to their shops, but never returned home, as their blood now crying for justice.
"And now, who will feed their children?
Who will wipe the tears of their widows?
Who will carry the burden of their aged parents?
"All these are begging for answers......
ARIORI WALKING FREE — An Insult to the Dead," he said.
He added that as families, friends and loved ones mourn and survivors nurse their wounds, "the man alleged to have masterminded this tragedy, one Mr. Hakeem Abiodun Ariori, moves freely on the streets, this is an insult to the memories of the dead and it remains is an open wound in the hearts of their families."
"We demand in clear terms the immediate arrest, questioning, Prosecution and detention of Mr. Hakeem Abiodun Ariori, he must not be isolated from this massacre, he must be tried side by side with the four policemen who executed this evil.
"The Nigeria Police cannot continue to treat Nigerians with contempt, four police officers were identified at the scene of this bloodbath, who are they?
"What are their names and ranks? Who deployed them illegally to Lagos?
We demand that their identities be published into the public domain immediately, and that they be prosecuted without delay. Anything less is complicity and cover -up.
"Their trial must serve as a deterrent to other uniformed men and women who
abuse their weapons to spill innocent blood," he said.
He said further that the Lagos State Government cannot wash its hands clean of this atrocity.
According to him, "for months, the Owode traders cried out for help. They wrote letters. They staged peaceful protests. They delivered petitions to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Lagos State House of Assembly.
"Yet their cries fell on deaf ears. Their warnings were ignored. dismissed. And now, their blood has been spilled.
"Their pain was even worse, the menace of land grabbing under the disguise of “development” has.become the new business of governance in Lagos.
"Public office holders use fronts like Ariori to seize land and enrich themselves, securing their “retirement benefits” while poor families are stripped of their homes, shops, and means of survival.
"This madness must stop. The state exists to protect its citizens, not to ruin them.
"The Lagos State Government must end its partnership with land grabbers and
return to the path of justice."
While saying that the painful lessons of the past cannot be ignored, he stressed that if the "Lagos State continues on this
path of repression, forced demolitions, and bloodshed, it ris ks igniting another
uprising.
"Let me sound this clear warning:
If care is not taken, Lagos residents may be forced to rise again under the slogan
#EndLagosDemolitionNow , just as the world witnessed during the #EndSARS
protests at Lekki Tollgate."
He subsequently called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu "to immediately caution Governor Babajide Sanwo -Olu and his agents, before Lagos once again becomes a theatre of.blood and resistance."
CHSR then demanded "the immediate arrest, detention, and prosecution of Mr. Abiodun Hakeem Ariori for alleged murder, unlawful demolition, and terrorism against Owode traders.
"Public disclosure and prosecution of the four police officers involved with their names, ranks, and full accountability must be made public.
"Removal of the Lagos State Attorney General, Mr. Lawal Pedro (SAN), for his
alleged complicity and protection of a Land Grabber Mr. Hakeem Abiodun Ariori, which has emboldened lawlessness.
"Adequate compensation and medical support for families of the six slain traders and all the injured victims and permanent security deployment to Owode Onirin Market to protect traders and prevent future violence."
This massacre, he said, is a stain on the conscience of Lagos State.
"It is a reminder that when the government fails to protect, it betrays its people. Today, we stand with the families of the slain. We stand with the traders of Owode Market.
"And we stand with every Nigerian who still believes that justice must mean something in this land. Justice delayed is justice denied. Justice ignored is justice buried, but justice demanded, as we demand today, can.never be silenced.
May the blood of the dead not be shed in vain."
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