Fall of Abuja food court

• Tears as AEPB arrest owners, sets shops ablaze

From Isaac Anumihe, Abuja

Emotions rose sky high, tears flowed like an endless river as officials of Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) destroyed and burned an unapproved food court in the belly of country’s capital city.

Backed by heavy security mounted by the Nigeria Police and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) officers, AEPB officials mercilessly arrested, wounded shop owners and set ablaze tables, shops, kiosks and steaming-hot foods prepared that early morning for customers. Some of the foods were hauled into two waiting vans of AEPB officers and taken to unknown destination.

Directly facing the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) towers, Abuja Food Court (AFC), is surrounded by Reiz Continental Hotel, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Total Filling Station, Unity Bank headquarters, National Library and private enterprises.

Because it’s close to national secretariat, civil servants, (including directors and managers) send their drivers to buy kose and akamu. Bankers, NNPC workers and Bassam Plaza workers form its major customers.

The market which started in 2016 as a small table marketplace where one or two persons fried akara (kose) and served pap (akamu) for workers in the area, soon blossomed into a large market with more than 50 persons frying akara and serving pap at the same time.

Today, the market serves variety of foods including rice, beans, eba, roasted yam and plantain, kose and akamu. Its expansion attracted more customers. Majority of them eat in, others take their foods away.

However, the raid on Friday, July 25, 2025, was more devastating and heart breaking than the previous raids. The raiders moved in in a commando style, pounced on the already set tables and began to demolish and burn down everything in sight.

It was gathered that the space was originally designed for a railway terminus but it has now been sold to a car dealer. In 2019, Daily Sun spotlighted the market with a headline: “Strange! FCT opens breakfast market where only akara, akamu are served.”

In the story, customers vowed to patronise the market at all costs.

An ardent customer said: “The ‘joint’ has come to stay. There is nothing anybody can do. It’s the only place workers in the area take kose (akara) and pap in the morning before settling down for the day’s assignment.

“You can see the number of cars that line up here everyday and workers from different parts of the city patronise the market early in the morning.”

Another customer who said he has been visiting the market since 2017 when he was employed by one of the companies, vowed that no government can stop them from patronising the market: “If AEPB likes, let it raid the market 20 times a day. This market will not stop to function. 

“Soldiers and policemen come here to buy food. All these cars you see are owned by ‘big men’ who send their drivers to buy food for them. So, who is fooling who?”

Sani said: “The market serves both the highs and the lows in the society considering the type of exotic cars that park there every morning. So, it is serving a purpose for the people.”

One of the food sellers pleaded with the government to leave them to operate until the government was ready to make use of the space:

“This market helps us to feed our families. I leave Kubwa everyday to come here to look for what my family will eat. Please help us to plead with them (authorities) to allow us for some time. We know that it is a temporary place.”