Traders and artisans operating around Arepo Junction in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State have protested an eviction order they say was issued by the state government.
The affected occupants, including car dealers, welders and other artisans, said they had been doing business at the location since 2005 after securing approval to use the space and making payments to the Federal Government.
According to a report by Saturday PUNCH, the Ogun State Ministry of Environment served the car dealers with abatement notices on September 8, 2026, directing them to vacate the area immediately.
Speaking on behalf of the traders, a welder identified as Alhaji Taiwo Alaka, alleged that the enforcement was focused specifically on their location rather than being applied to the entire road setback along the Berger–Ibadan axis.
Alaka appealed to the authorities to reconsider the decision, stressing that many of the traders had invested years and significant resources into their businesses at the location and had no alternative place to relocate to.
“The place was given to us through the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, and we have been paying for it. But some officials of the Ogun State Ministry of Environment have been coming to chase us out of the state.
“We have been here since 2005. We don’t have any other place to go,” he said.
Documents seen by Saturday PUNCH reportedly showed that one of the occupants, Mr Joshua Oyeniyi, paid N276,000 to the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Ogun State office, for the use of the space between April 1, 2021, and March 31, 2026.
Oyeniyi further claimed that the situation had escalated after the state government allegedly brought a caterpillar to the area in an attempt to demolish some of the traders’ structures before the eviction notices were eventually issued.
Ogun Government Explains Its Position
Reacting to the protest, the Ogun State Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, denied that the traders were being singled out.
He described the action as part of the ministry’s routine enforcement activities across the state.
Oresanya also argued that the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing does not have the authority to allocate roadside setbacks to individuals for commercial activities.
The commissioner advised the affected traders to direct their complaints to the authorities they had been paying for the use of the space.
He further encouraged the protesters to visit the Ministry of Environment for clarification and to better understand the state government’s position on the enforcement exercise.
The development has left the affected traders seeking a resolution that would protect their livelihoods while also addressing the government’s concerns over the use of roadside spaces.
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