LAGOS, Nigeria — The Lagos State Government has shut down the Oshodi Resettlement Market after traders allegedly attacked officials of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC), popularly known as KAI, during an enforcement operation in the area on Tuesday.
Tokunbo Wahab, Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, announced the closure in a statement posted on X on Tuesday. According to Wahab, the incident occurred when KAI officials moved into the market to arrest suspected hoodlums and beggars.
“Oshodi Resettlement Market, Oshodi has been shut down. Traders at the market attacked officers and personnel of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps, prevented them from arresting hoodlums and beggars who vandalised the agency’s operational vehicles during an enforcement operation earlier today,” Wahab wrote.
The commissioner alleged that traders obstructed the operation and attacked officers of the agency. A video shared by Wahab showed LAGESC operatives patrolling the locked market premises while enforcing the closure order.
Wahab did not say whether any arrests were made following the incident or whether any officials sustained injuries. He also did not indicate how long the market would remain closed.
The Oshodi Resettlement Market is one of the busiest trading centres in Lagos, serving thousands of traders and commuters daily in the commercial district.
Tuesday’s closure is the latest in a series of enforcement actions by the Lagos State Government as it intensifies efforts to tackle environmental violations, street trading and other activities it considers detrimental to public order. In recent months, the state government has sealed several markets and business premises over alleged environmental infractions.
The Lagos State Government has also recently clarified that KAI, in collaboration with the Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Task Force, remains the legally empowered body responsible for environmental enforcement in the state, dismissing rumours that transport unions would be taking over the agency’s duties.
The latest development is likely to revive discussions about government regulation of commercial activities in Oshodi, a district that has undergone extensive redevelopment over the past decade.
