A violent confrontation at the Balogun Business Association (BBA) Market inside the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex has left one person dead and three others injured, with fresh details now emerging about the events that led to the bloodshed.
The incident, which took place on Sunday, May 3, 2026, is understood to have arisen from an attempt by the embattled BBA President, Chief Oscar Paul Ikechukwu Odogwu, to take possession of land reportedly belonging to Mega Rickon Resources Limited, reports Sunday Independent.
Sources claim that Chief Odogwu deployed his staff, security personnel and supporters to the disputed area, prompting a response from the Trade Fair Security Task Force.
According to the chairman of the task force, Alhaji Ismaila Bakare, the trouble began when his team moved to enforce a stop-work order issued by the Trade Fair management against unauthorised construction.
Bakare alleged that the construction was taking place on a Sunday, in breach of the complex’s regulations, and that workers were accompanied by individuals linked to the BBA leadership.
“Upon our arrival, we discovered workers fabricating and erecting attachment shops. We stopped the work, seized some equipment, including a generator, and ordered those present to leave,” Bakare said.
“But after we left, they regrouped, procured more equipment and resumed construction, moving deeper into the green area around the disputed land.”
When task force officers returned to enforce the stop-work directive, they were allegedly attacked by armed men wielding axes, clubs and machetes.
Bakare claimed that as his men tried to flee, gunshots were fired, killing one official, Kabiru Jakpata, and injuring three others.
Bakare identified the alleged shooter as Afam Ezeakire, popularly known as “Master”. He said a formal statement had been made to the police and expressed concern that Ezeakire had not yet been apprehended.
However, unconfirmed reports suggest that Ezeakire later surrendered to operatives of Police Tactical Team One after evading vigilante attempts to arrest him in Awka-Etiti, Anambra State.
The task force chairman described the deceased as the only son of his aged parents, a husband and father of eight children, and appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, civil society groups and human rights organisations to ensure a thorough investigation and that justice is served.
Following the violence, the management of the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex sealed off the affected section.
The Executive Director, Chief Mrs Veronica Ndanusa, is said to have contacted the Lagos State Commissioner of Police. Police investigators have also invited several stakeholders, including a director of Mega Rickon Resources Limited, Chief John Nzeako.
