A deadly shooting has brought parts of the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex to a standstill after armed attackers opened fire on an enforcement team, killing one officer and wounding three others.
The violence broke out on Sunday along the Badagry Expressway when a management-deployed task force arrived at the Balogun Business Association (BBA) market to enforce a stop-work order on illegal construction. Instead of compliance, the team was met with gunfire.
“One of the task force members was shot dead instantly, while others were wounded,” an eyewitness recounted, adding that the enforcement officers had no prior knowledge that those at the site were armed.
The slain officer’s colleagues were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.
In the immediate aftermath, Executive Director of the complex’s management board, Mrs. Veronica Ndanusa, ordered the full closure of the BBA section. “I ordered the closure to prevent further breakdown of law and order after a task force member was killed on duty,” she said. “The plaza will remain under police lock and key until the perpetrators are apprehended.”
Task Force Chairman Alhaji Bakare described the assault as deliberate and premeditated. “They brought in armed men who opened fire on us. One of my team members was killed, and others were seriously injured,” he said.
Chief Security Officer Bawa Outa confirmed that warnings over the unauthorized construction had been issued well before Sunday’s confrontation, but went unheeded.
A joint security response involving the Nigeria Police, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and military personnel was swiftly mobilized to restore order and evacuate the injured.
Mrs. Ndanusa reminded traders that the Trade Fair Complex is a Federal Government facility supervised by the Ministry of Trade and Investment, and that all operators are bound by regulated lease agreements — a point she stressed as investigators work to identify and arrest those behind the attack.
The affected section remains sealed as authorities pursue the suspects.
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