Lagos State has sealed the popular Ladipo Spare Parts Market along the Apapa–Oshodi Expressway for repeated environmental breaches
Lagos Seals Ladipo Spare Parts Market Over Indiscriminate Refuse Disposal & Illegal Trading
The Lagos State Government has once more clamped down on the bustling Ladipo Spare Parts Market, sealing the entire premises along the ever-busy Murtala Muhammed International Airport Road (Apapa–Oshodi Expressway) in Mushin.
The enforcement action, executed by taskforce operatives early this morning, targets repeated violations that officials say continue to blight the environment and public health.
Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, announced the closure via his X account, pointing directly to the culprits: indiscriminate dumping of refuse on the road median and highway shoulders, rampant illegal street trading, and other non-compliant activities.
“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,” Wahab wrote.
Ladipo Market—widely regarded as one of West Africa’s largest hubs for tokunbo (foreign used) and new automotive spare parts—has been in and out of government sanctions over the years for similar offences. In 2023, the market enjoyed a brief reopening after traders met waste management and sanitation benchmarks set by the state.
Today’s sealing reinforces Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s zero-tolerance stance on environmental infractions as part of the broader THEMES Plus agenda to build a cleaner, healthier, and more orderly Lagos.
No reopening timeline has been announced. State officials have made it clear that the market will remain under lock until full compliance with environmental regulations—including proper waste disposal systems, elimination of street hawking, and restoration of public space—is demonstrably achieved and verified.
Traders and customers now face uncertainty, with many wondering how long the popular market will stay shut and what concrete steps will be required to lift the seal. The development serves as the latest reminder of Lagos’ intensified push to enforce sanitation laws across commercial hotspots. Read More
