Traders at the Ladipo Auto Spare Parts Market along the Apapa–Oshodi Expressway, Lagos, yesterday appealed to the Lagos State Government to reopen the market, which was shut over environmental infractions.

The market was closed on February 8, 2026, as part of the state’s ongoing enforcement drive to ensure compliance with environmental laws and curb street trading and improper waste disposal.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, said the decision followed repeated violations, including indiscriminate dumping of refuse on the median and highway, as well as illegal street trading.

The closure has grounded business activities in the multibillion-naira market, forcing traders to gather in clusters to deliberate on the situation and plead for government intervention.
Speaking to The Guardian, a trader, Leo Ugochukwu Ogbonna, said the notice of the planned action was short and poorly communicated. “We got information last Thursday that the government could seal part of the market, but this was the first time. The notice was too short and the message was not well passed,” he said.

Ogbonna, who is also the assistant manager of J&F Warehouse, added that traders had waste bins within the market but complained of irregular evacuation by the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA).
“We are not dumping refuse on the road, so our warehouse should not have been locked,” he said.

Another trader, Vincent Nduka, said the government acted rightly but stressed the need for traders to take responsibility. “The service lane is mostly congested by some traders, and the government wants to put things in order. The market will reopen soon, but we need to play our part,” he said.
He blamed the market management for allowing traders to spill onto the road and appealed for more waste bins to be provided to help keep the market clean.

Responding, LAWMA spokesperson Mukaila Sanusi said the agency had provided designated locations for waste disposal and regularly evacuated refuse from the market. He added that traders often violated the arrangement by dumping waste on the expressway median despite repeated warnings.
Sanusi said the continued disregard for environmental regulations prompted the enforcement action taken by the state government.