WHY ‘CONDEMN PHONE’ HAWKERS ARE SUDDENLY EVERYWHERE IN NIGERIA

April 9, 2026 • Dons Eze • 1 min read

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Everyone was curious about who they are, why they are everywhere, and what they do with these so-called condemned items.

Many of these hawkers are mobile buyers from northern Nigeria, roaming cities in search of broken phones, damaged laptops, and even faulty generators.

They often offer ridiculously low amounts, sometimes as little as 500 or 1,000 naira for your device

But these items are far from useless. Many go to repair markets where technicians fix them and resell fairly used devices.

Devices beyond repair are dismantled for parts or recycled, recovering materials like copper, aluminum, and even small amounts of gold.

So what seems like trash to most people is actually part of a hidden street economy that touches the streets, repair markets, and scrap trade.

Dons Eze

DONS EZE, PhD, Political Philosopher and Journalist of over four decades standing, worked in several newspaper houses across the country, and rose to the positions of Editor and General Manager. A UNESCO Fellow in Journalism, Dr. Dons Eze, a prolific writer and author of many books, attended several courses on Journalism and Communication in both Nigeria and overseas, including a Postgraduate Course on Journalism at Warsaw, Poland; Strategic Communication and Practical Communication Approach at RIPA International, London, the United Kingdom, among others.