Inside Benue’s 70-year-old market

As a  first time visitor to this area, one could easily describe Madikpo market as a flea market, which is a bustling oudoor marketplace where vendors, traders sell a wide variety of new, used, vintage, and antique goods, household and handmade items at low prices to their numerous customers who can’t afford to buy new […]

As a  first time visitor to this area, one could easily describe Madikpo market as a flea market, which is a bustling oudoor marketplace where vendors, traders sell a wide variety of new, used, vintage, and antique goods, household and handmade items at low prices to their numerous customers who can’t afford to buy new ones.

Madikpo Street, otherwise referred to as Kasuwa Raga, in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, is a popular market for second-hand goods and a place where the past lives of some people are brought back to life through objects they once owned.

The name itself carries a story as it was once called Mai-adiko, a Hausa phrase loosely meaning “the man who always ties head-ties” or “the one who sells them.” But the original meaning faded as language blended and time reshaped it.

What remained is Madikpo, the version that became part of Makurdi’s everyday vocabulary for the man who was believed to have first settled on the most popular street of Wadata community.

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Despite the fact that the street, located behind Barracks Road on the busy route leading to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Wadata, was renamed Kano Street, for some reasons according to some residents, the name Madikpo has nevertheless stuck till today. The market spreads along the street like an open museum of pre-owned life.

Indeed, Madikpo or Kasuwa Raga (Hausa word for market of second-hand goods), is known for affordable fairly used electronics, beddings, furniture and other home appliances. The market has built a reputation, not only for bargains but also for its uncanny role in the mystery of missing belongings, such that when an item disappears in Makurdi, many residents would say, “Check Madikpo first.”

For traders who earn a living there and buyers who depend on them, Madikpo is more than a marketplace; it is a community woven together by memory and the everyday drama of survival.

Abubakar Imrana, who deals in furniture, dismissed allegations of unwholesome practices in Madikpo, saying that traders actually collaborate with security agencies to tackle criminal activities and maintain zero tolerance for stolen items.

He said the market had become a place where at least 50 university graduates from different disciplines now earn a decent living, while over 200 others engage profitably to improve themselves and contribute positively to the state’s economic growth.

Imrana, who is the secretary of the Madikpo Traders Association went down memory lane to explain how the place gained popularity over the years.

“Madikpo is the oldest and first nylon-tarred street in Wadata community. It became famous as a melting point for elders, who often sat under a tree to relax and discuss issues of common interest. It was originally the major road in the area before petty trading began. Over time, it metamorphosed into a place where second-hand home appliances are sold.

“What I learned from our fathers is that there were some people they sponsored in school; and after school or work, most of those young people came together here (Madikpo), and our leaders, including politicians like George Akume, came as well to mingle with them. I also know that even our present crop of leaders were at various times familiar with this street because they frequently came to relax with friends.

“Madikpo – the progenitor, is believed to be the first settler in the street.

“The market opens as early as 7am daily and closes after the Muslim Maghrib prayer, but residents in the area still come to the street to relax,” he said.

Imrana added that despite being educated, he trades in wardrobes, mattresses and upholstery made in his workshop, pointing to a corner of the showroom where new furniture were kept.

According to him, traders normally source their goods directly from producing companies; or in the case of furniture, make them, or buy used items from willing sellers. He, however, said that all the items sold at the market were not second-hand goods.

“These ones are new (pointing at a piece of furniture in his showroom). Not all of them are second-hand. These wardrobes and chairs are made by me. The new mattresses over there were supplied to us by companies to sell, from which we earn a commission. Also, when people come to buy certain electronics, we go to the company to get them for the customers. The second-hand electronics come from people who face challenges and sell their home appliances to either feed or pay school fees. Some sell due to relocation as they find it difficult to move their property to the new location and therefore call us to buy them. Sometimes, they bring the items directly to us on their own.

“But we always ensure that the sellers are the rightful owners by asking for verifiable receipts if the seller is an adult. We crosscheck these receipts, request their identity card, photocopy it and make a written agreement before purchasing the item. If the seller is a young person, we first assess them physically to ensure that the items they want to sell are not stolen.

“We collaborate with Makurdi Local Council and the police to track suspicious persons. Sometimes, the State Criminal Investigation Department alerts us on stolen items and asks us to be vigilant. When a suspect approach us with such items, we detain them and call the police.

“By doing this, we have helped the police arrest many suspects. Occasionally, the police bring the suspects themselves to identify stolen items. Sometimes, problems arise due to few dishonest members in the market, but as soon as we find that a member bought a stolen item, that member faces sanctions by losing the money paid, as we ensure that the property is returned to the police for return to the rightful owner. Nobody is reimbursed for the money used to purchase stolen items. We also hand over such members to the police for further prosecution, which encourages everyone to be careful not to buy stolen goods,” Imrana explained.

Similarly, the Sarikin Pawa of the market, Alhaji Mohammed Baba (Garkuwa Mataraca, Makurdi), recalled that Madikpo market existed long before the Nigerian civil war; and over the years, it had helped lift many boys off the streets of Wadata.

He said Madikpo had become a blend of all ethnicities – Hausa, Igbo, Tiv, Igala or Idoma, who all engage in legitimate trading of second-hand goods.

“Everybody in this market hustles for their daily bread. We didn’t want our boys to go out there and tamper with people’s property, so we accommodate them here to buy and sell. We sell second-hand property brought in from Lagos. If government workers want to change their property or individuals on transfer want to sell their belongings, they come to us. We buy and supply to others.

“Those who want to sell their household property – soldiers, police or civilians – we write an agreement with the seller. If they are soldiers or police, we photocopy their identity cards before buying. They also bring a witness to confirm ownership of the items before we purchase.

“All the governors who have ever been in the state have always been happy with us because we cooperate with them. They see how we help take boys off the streets so that they can earn money legitimately instead of engaging in criminal activities. Here, we have vigilantes who handle deviants and hand them over to the E Police Division in the area.

“Our major challenge is eradicating stolen items from the market no matter how difficult it may be because some bad eggs put others in trouble. For example, we might have verified the documents they bring without suspicion, only to find out later from the police that the items were stolen.