LASG finally shuts Ladipo market

The Lagos State Government on Monday finally shut the popular auto spare parts market, Ladipo Market, in Mushin Local Government Area over environmental degradation.

The government had, two week ago, threatened to close the market indefinitely if the traders did not clean it up.

It was gathered that officials of the Lagos State Taskforce on Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit arrived the market at 4am on Monday to effect the closure order by the government.

Hundreds of policemen attached to the Taskforce led by its Chairman, Bayo Sulaiman, took over all “official and unofficial” entrances to the market to prevent the traders from gaining access into the market.

 By the time the traders arrived, they were driven back by the policemen, who shot canisters of teargas into the air.

An Armoured Personnel Carrier was stationed at the Toyota end of the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, while the road leading to the market was barricaded by the taskforce officials, who were backed by officials of Rapid Respond Squad.

The Commissioner for the Environment, Mr. Tunji Bello, said the closure became inevitable because the government had had several meetings and had warned the market leaders and traders about the deteriorating state of the market.

He said, “The environment is seriously polluted and degraded with oil. Surrounding canals are filled with full and half engine parts and human waste. Illegal structures were built along drainage path and all the canal setbacks have been turned to shops and trading points.

“A visit to the place also shows that, street traders have taken over the entire major inlet and outlet to the market. The residents have severally petitioned the Ministry of the Environment about lack of access to their homes and property.

“These traders have degraded all the major access roads to the market.”

The commissioner said before the government would reopen the market, the traders must remove illegal and attached structures built along canal paths.

Bello added, “They (traders) must be confined to the main markets and under no condition must they trade or solicit for customers on the main road. They must remove all shop attachments built around the market/canals, remove all derelict and abandoned vehicles packed from within the market to the expressway. They must also remediate all forms of degradation on the roads and market area and sort out waste management issues with LAWMA as they cannot continue to dump refuse into the canals.”