The enforcement teams from the Lagos State Environmental Taskforce and the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA on the morning of Sunday, 8 February, 2025 sealed the popular Ladipo Spare Parts Market along Apapa–Oshodi Expressway, citing repeated violations of environmental laws, reports thegazellenews.com.
The state Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, announced the action via X, stating: “Lagos State government, this morning, sealed Ladipo Spare Parts Market along Murtala Muhammed International Airport Road (Apapa–Oshodi Expressway) over repeated environmental infractions; indiscriminate refuse disposal on the median/highway and illegal street trading. #ZeroToleranceLagos.”
The Lagos State state government officials carried out the operation, placing “SEALED” notices and caution tapes at the entrances.
Ladipo Market, one of West Africa’s largest hubs for new and used automobile spare parts, has long struggled with sanitation challenges as traders often dump refuse indiscriminately along the highway median and shoulders, while unregulated street trading exacerbates congestion and littering.
This is not the first enforcement action: the market was sealed in 2023 for similar infractions and only reopened after operators met strict waste-management standards and sanitation requirements.
The Commissioner had repeatedly stressed that markets must adopt best practices in waste disposal, and the government maintains zero tolerance for violations under the Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law of 2017.
The closure affects thousands of traders and their families who rely on the market for daily livelihoods.
The state has sealed numerous other markets in recent years, including Erukan Market (Mile 12), Oja Oba (Ketu), Sabo Market (Yaba), and several plazas in Ketu and Lagos Island, all for indiscriminate waste disposal.
