Justice prevailed in November when S4C secured the release of unlawfully detained traders protesting the illegal demolitions of Toronto Junction Market in Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State. Detained for over a week by operatives of the Tiger Base Unit of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) on the instigation of the Imo State Environmental Transformation Commission (ENTRACO), the defendants were eventually charged to court following S4C’s advocacy pressure.
What seemed like an enforcement exercise carried out by agents of the now suspended Imo State Environmental Transformation Commission (ENTRACO), accompanied by armed touts, escalated into looting, violence, demolitions and large-scale destruction of property between October 24 and 30, 2025. Eyewitnesses told S4C that their shops were broken into, and goods, cash, and personal belongings worth over fifty million naira stolen, including foodstuffs, electronics, POS machines, phones, and motorcycles. The victims were mostly young men, women and widows. The youths living in the area retaliated, resulting in casualties on both sides. The crisis escalated on October 30, 2025, when ENTRACO returned with greater force, demolishing all remaining shops and labeling them “shanties.” Occupiers received no prior notice or official communication contrary to due process requirements. Tragically, three persons were shot during the demolition exercise, one fatally, and others sustained various injuries.
Following the demolitions, about fifteen traders were arrested on October 29 by officers from the Tiger Base Unit, Nigeria Police, Imo State, on the directive of ENTRACO, for “disobedience” and allegedly resisting the demolitions. They were detained for over a week without being charged to court. Upon receiving appeals for legal assistance, S4C’s legal team immediately swung into action. They visited the Tiger Base to ascertain the status of the detainees, demanding their unconditional release or formal arraignment in court. Yielding to S4C’s advocacy demands, the Imo State Commissioner of Police directed that the detainees be charged to court.
The defendants were arraigned on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, before a Chief Magistrate Court in Owerri on an eight-count charge, including murder, illegal possession of firearms, and related offences. S4C’s legal team, together with other defence lawyers, argued that the charges against the defendants were defective and incompetent, citing violations of Section 66 of the Police Act 2020 and other applicable laws governing the jurisdiction of courts. The court upheld the submissions of the defense counsels, ruling that the charges were defective and ultra vires the jurisdiction of the magistrate court.
In a well-considered ruling, the Magistrate Court 4, Owerri Judicial Division, struck out the charges against the defendants for being defective and consequently ordered their immediate release. Of the 13 defendants, S4C secured the release of three defendants who had no legal representation, ensuring they were released and the charges against them were also struck out.
This outcome underscores the importance of defending the civic space by challenging the misuse of state powers and institutions. The unlawful detention of traders and other citizens, coupled with the defective charges, highlight a troubling pattern of weaponizing security laws and state institutions against vulnerable communities, especially the poor. Nevertheless, Spaces for Change remains committed to safeguarding civic space by offering legal representation to citizens and other vulnerable groups against overbearing governmental power while ensuring that the rule of law prevails.
