Lagos shuts Oshodi market over attack on sanitation officers

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The Lagos State Government has shut down Oshodi Resettlement Market following an attack on officers of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps during an enforcement operation in the area.

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The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, announced the closure on Tuesday, stating that traders in the market obstructed officials from carrying out their duties and allegedly aided hoodlums and beggars who vandalised government vehicles.

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According to Wahab, officers of the environmental agency were conducting an operation to apprehend hoodlums and street beggars when they came under attack.

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He said traders at the market prevented officials from making arrests and subsequently assaulted personnel, while operational vehicles belonging to the agency were damaged.

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“The Oshodi Resettlement Market has been shut down. Traders at the market attacked officers and personnel of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps and prevented them from arresting hoodlums and beggars who vandalised the agency’s operational vehicles during an enforcement operation earlier today,” the commissioner said.

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The closure comes amid renewed efforts by the state government to strengthen environmental enforcement and tackle activities contributing to public nuisance and poor sanitation across Lagos.

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Only recently, the government inaugurated a Special Task Force involving transport unions to curb indiscriminate waste dumping on roads, bus stops, garages and other public spaces.

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Speaking during the inauguration, Wahab said members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers and the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria would serve as environmental monitors and assist in reporting sanitation violations.

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The Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, had emphasised that addressing environmental abuse required collaboration between government agencies and transport unions, warning that offenders would face sanctions.

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Similarly, Deputy Chief of Staff Sam Egube urged stakeholders to support efforts to keep the state clean and secure.

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The Managing Director of the Lagos Waste Management Authority, Muyiwa Gbadegesin, noted that Lagos generates about 13,000 tonnes of waste daily and stressed the need to prevent illegal dumping and other environmental infractions.

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The government has yet to indicate when the market will be reopened, but maintained that enforcement of environmental laws would continue across the state.

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