Trade fair building demolition: 70-year-old man rushed to hospital after inhaling teargas

By Efe Onodjae

A 70-year-old man simply identified as Baba eko was on Thursday rushed to hospital after inhaling teargas fired by security operatives during the demolition of structures at the popular Trade Fair Complex, Lagos.

The incident occurred as combined security teams moved in to disperse protesting traders who resisted the ongoing demolition of more than 19 buildings at the New Mandela Plaza within the complex.

According to findings, the elderly man was employed as a cleaner at the Magnus building. He was said to have been inside the premises when security operatives fired teargas to disperse people in the building.

Eyewitnesses told Vanguard that the elderly man, who slumped after struggling to breathe, was caught in the middle of the chaos when operatives fired multiple canisters of teargas to prevent traders from accessing the demolition site.
“People were shouting and running everywhere, then we saw the old man gasping for air before he collapsed. Some traders rushed him out and called for help,” a witness said.

Security operatives, comprising men of the Lagos State Task Force, Rapid Response Squad, and other tactical teams, had mounted heavy presence around the plaza, cordoning off the area and preventing traders from salvaging their goods.
The exercise, which many traders described as “sudden and heartless,” left shops and warehouses destroyed, with several victims lamenting huge losses.

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