Lokoja Group Petitions LG Chairman Over Alleged Illegal Sale of Market Land
By Our Correspondent
The Lokoja Progressive Movement has petitioned the Executive Chairman of Lokoja Local Government Area, alleging that the consultant managing the Lokoja International Market is unlawfully selling plots of land within the market, a development the group says is distorting the market’s original layout and creating congestion.
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In a petition dated July 7, 2026 and signed by its Chairman, Comrade Isiak Ibrahim, the group accused the consultant of embarking on the indiscriminate sale of available spaces without proper authorization.
According to the petition, the consultant has allegedly altered the approved master plan of the market by converting designated public spaces into commercial plots for sale, an action the group described as being outside the consultant’s mandate.
The movement also expressed concern over an alleged plan to sell the section originally reserved for Gonjo (second-hand clothing) traders, warning that such a move would displace legitimate traders and further worsen congestion within the market.
The group appealed to the Lokoja Local Government Chairman to urgently intervene by stopping what it described as the unauthorized sale of land and restoring the market to its approved layout.
It warned that failure by the authorities to address the issue could compel affected traders and stakeholders to embark on peaceful protests and other lawful actions to defend their rights.
Copies of the petition were sent to the Kogi State Government, the Maigari of Lokoja, the Commissioner for Commerce, the Commissioner of Police, the Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), the Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, the Chairman of the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service, the Chairman of the Lokoja International Market Traders Association, and the Sarkin Kasuwa of Lokoja.
Efforts to reach the market consultant for his reaction to the allegations were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report..
(DEMOCRACY NEWSLINE NEWSPAPER, JULY 7TH 2026)
