The Lagos State Government has sealed the popular Ladipo Spare Parts Market along the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, citing persistent environmental infractions and non-compliance with sanitation regulations.
The closure was announced on Sunday by the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, in a statement posted on X.
According to him, the action followed repeated incidents of indiscriminate refuse disposal on road medians and highways, as well as illegal street trading activities around the market corridor.
“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,” the commissioner wrote, reaffirming the administration’s zero-tolerance stance.
Located in Mushin, Ladipo Market is one of West Africa’s largest hubs for automobile spare parts and attracts thousands of traders and buyers daily.
The government said the latest enforcement exercise forms part of a broader strategy to compel strict adherence to environmental laws, improve urban sanitation, and curb unsafe trading practices that obstruct traffic and endanger public health.
This is not the first time the market has faced government sanctions. In 2023, the state government reopened Ladipo Market after traders met stipulated environmental and waste management requirements.
At the time, the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources confirmed that the market had complied with laid-down sanitation standards before operations were allowed to resume.
Wahab had then stressed that the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu places a premium on environmental cleanliness, public health, and safety, in line with the THEMES Plus development agenda.
He warned that markets across Lagos must consistently comply with waste management best practices or face sanctions.
Sunday’s sealing suggests renewed enforcement amid concerns that compliance levels at the market may have declined, underscoring the government’s resolve to sustain environmental discipline across the state.