#EndSARS: Hoodlums Loot, Set Ablaze Bata Nigeria’s New Store in Lagos

The newly-opened Bata store, a multinational footwear company, in Lagos was one of the businesses looted by hoodlums who hijacked the peaceful anti-police brutality protests which started across Nigeria last week.

The franchise store which is located inside the Circle Mall at the Jakande area of Lekki was completed emptied and set ablaze by the miscreants on Thursday, Oct. 22.

ALSO READ: #EndSARS: Insurance Companies in Nigeria to be Flooded with Claims as Angry Youths Vandalise Properties

One of the executives of the company, Idris Ayodeji Bello shared a video confirmation of the incident on Twitter – another video also showed the store before it was vandalised. Bello, however, expressed optimism that the business will bounce back stronger.

10 months ago,I joined the @Bata_Nigeria team to launch our first Lagos store. Yesterday, the store was looted and burned down. However, we are grateful our people are safe and by God's Grace, we will come out of this stronger. As Lagos rebuilds, we are at https://t.co/FWvzKnZMRr https://t.co/zPC0LIClyA pic.twitter.com/MFjkxek6Io

— Idris Ayodeji Bello (@idrisayobello) October 23, 2020

Bata, the famous shoe manufacturers based in Switzerland, left Nigeria in the 80’s, but staged a grand comeback in April 2019 as it opened a new shoe plant worth N350 million in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and employed over 100 Nigerian artisans. Apart from its Abuja store, the company’s stores are currently located in Lagos and Port Harcourt.