Traders at the Lagos Trade Fair Complex staged a protest on Monday, September 14, 2026, against the alleged involvement of some Chinese nationals in retail trading, saying the practice was affecting their businesses.
The traders gathered at the complex along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, displaying placards with messages including “Chinese must go” and calling for Chinese traders to stop selling directly to consumers.
Videos of the protest shared on social media showed traders chanting and displaying placards.
One of the protesters, speaking in Igbo, alleged that some Chinese nationals came to Nigeria to operate as wholesalers but had begun selling directly to consumers, making it difficult for Nigerian retailers to compete.
He said Chinese businesses could obtain goods directly from manufacturers and suppliers in China, allowing them to sell at lower prices and attract customers.
“We no longer make sales. If you import goods, they slash their prices lower than our own and sell to our customers,” he said.
The trader also alleged that some Chinese businesses had rented shops and established warehouses within the complex to sell goods directly to consumers.
He further claimed that some obtained customers’ telephone numbers from waybills and contacted them to sell their products.
The protesters, however, said they were not calling for violence against Chinese nationals or the destruction of their businesses.
“If any of us spoils anything here, the person will pay for it. We are not saying we are going to beat the Chinese or spoil their warehouse,” the trader said.
He stressed that Nigerian traders had maintained good relationships with Chinese business owners but opposed their alleged involvement in retail trading.
“What we are saying is that the personal relationship between us and the Chinese is important to us, but they should not do our business,” he said.
The protest attracted mixed reactions on social media, with some users calling for government intervention to protect local traders, while others argued that consumers benefited from the lower prices offered by Chinese businesses.
The allegations made by the protesters had not been independently verified, and Chinese traders or their representatives had not responded to the claims at the time of the report.
