Pandemonium, however, struck yesterday after hundreds of thugs took the traders unaware.
The thugs, allegedly led by a man well known to the traders, attempted to demolish shops, also attacking the traders with arms and caterpillars.
The traders reportedly fought back and chased the thugs away. Report says many traders including the thugs sustained injuries and are in several hospitals in Lagos receiving treatment, P.M.News reports.
One Anene Otasi, one of the injured traders is still in critical condition at the University of Lagos Teaching Hospital, LUTH, Idi Araba, where doctors are reportedly battling to remove bullet wounds from his body.
The Chairman of Odo-Aladura Traders Association, Mr Maxwell Uroko, who confirmed the attack said they were shocked about what happened.
He said the thugs invaded the market with weapons, shooting indiscriminately.
According to him, since the incident happened, the thugs who felt defeated insisted that they would return on reprisal attack any time and to burn down the market. He said the alleged threat was causing tension in the market and its environs.
"Many traders were attacked with machetes and suffered gunshot wounds.
"The leader of the thugs brought caterpillars for the exercise and ordered the drivers to demolish the structures with traders' goods inside the shops and when the traders could not bear the attacks and intimidation, they resisted and chased them away after they had inflicted injuries on many of the traders," the chairman noted.
He, however, appealed to both the Mushin LG and State Government to call the leader of the thugs to order as he goes about boasting that the government was behind him.
Meanwhile, reports claim the cause of the fight was a lingering land tussle between Owoyemi family and Odo-Aladura community over the ownership of the land the traders rented.
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN
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