Phone sellers and technicians at the popular Phone Hub located in Ibara Roundabout area of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, were on Friday, prevented from carrying out their daily commercial activities after armed policemen took over the space they use for their business.
The policemen in their hundreds stormed the market with guns and barricaded the market in the early hours of the day.
Sources said the police operatives, who were said to be in possession of a purported court judgement, invaded the business hub to take possession of the land in enforcement of the court ruling.
One of the technicians at the TARMAC, while narrating his experience alleged that policemen shot into the air and even tear-gassed the workers when they attempted to open their shops to move into the market.
The phone sellers who could not have access to their facility approached the police operatives to demand the rationale for their sudden eviction from the business hub and arrest of their chairman.
This later led to a protest by the operators of the hub, under the auspices of Mobile Phone Dealers and Technicians Association of Ogun State (MOPDATEC).
The phone dealers took their protest to the palace of Olubara Ibara, Oba Moses Omolade to express their displeasure.
Addressing the mammoth crowd, the royal father, Oba Omolade assured the protesters that he would intervene on their behalf with the family.
The protesters thereafter, moved to the Press Centre of the Nigeria Union of Journalists at Okelewo, Abeokuta.
Addressing journalists, a member of the MOPDATEC, Comrade Titus Odeyemi called on Governor Dapo Abiodun to intervene in the land tussle.
Titus argued that chasing out the over 3,000 business owners at TARMAC may have negative effects and threaten peaceful coexistence in the state.
It was gathered that one Okeowo Fakoya family from Ibara had obtained a court judgment from the Ogun State High Court in February 2020 claiming ownership of the parcel of land housing the phone market.