Recent kidnappings in some parts of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway are taking a toll on commercial activities at Onigarri, a popular roadside market said to have been established some 46 years ago, writes Afeez Hanafi who visited the market
“What do you want to buy?” A middle-aged woman asked vehemently as our correspondent approached the market. “I have garri, yam, rice, palm oil,” another high-spirited trader beckoned, tailing our correspondent to her stand. As they stood by, motorists pulled over one after the other and bought the food items from them until everything was sold, Ayinde, now in her late 60s, said as she took a trip down memory lane.
Interestingly, all the traders at Onigarri are from Imolisa village, in the Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State. Some travellers who regularly ply the route had shared their worries with our correspondents over the incidents which according to them became rampant in December 2021. An actor, Adeniyi Johnson, equally wrote about the prevailing insecurity on the expressway on his Twitter handle, @AdeniyijohnsonO. In multiple slides he shared on Instagram, the actor complained that the attacks had impinged on his livelihood.
The iyaloja said drivers were now afraid to pull over at the market, lamenting that it was difficult to convince them that the vicinity was safe. “Kidnapping has really affected our business,” Abodude bemoaned, casting worried looks at bowlfuls of food items dotting her stand. “Customers are scared to stop by even though the abductions don’t occur here. We have security men who watch over the market and we pay them.”In his 35 years at the market, the Babaloja of Onigarri, Isiaka Akamo said, the effect of the kidnappings was one of the critical moments he was at his wit’s end.
Now the Iyalaje of Onigarri, Mrs Shakirat Akamo was in school when she started following her late mum to the market some 40 years ago. She grew up, in time, on the job and is currently one of the market leaders with feats to signpost her hard work. Also reflecting on the bright side of what is now a communal business, Abodude, who belongs to the second generation of traders in the market as Shakirat, said they tried to strike a balance between business and their responsibilities as wives and mothers at home.
At 25, Anuoluwapo Ayodele, has mastered trading, an art she learned from her late mother. But for the setback caused by the recent kidnappings, the young woman, one of the third generation of traders at Onigarri, had recorded a steady growth in the foodstuff business. The Field Commander of Amotekun in Ogun State, David Akinremi, said the corps was working with its Oyo State counterpart on joint border patrol of the troubled spots.
He stated, “We have our Safer Highway Team there, the Federal Highway Team and a team of the anti-kidnapping unit. They will be patrolling the road from time to time to ensure that such ugly incident does not happen again. We are after those hoodlums and we won’t rest until we get all of them arrested. Two of them were gunned down about two months ago and two AK-47 rifles recovered from them.”
The statement read in part, “Furthermore, in a bid to forestall future abduction incidents along Onigarri axis of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and other adjoining routes, the Commissioner of Police has emplaced proactive security measures to ensure that the nefarious activities of these hoodlums are nipped in the bud in coordinated corporation with adjoining state commands.”