The Lagos State Government on Tuesday shut down the Mile 12 and Ketu Fruits markets over non-compliance to the state sanitation law.
The Commissioner for Environment, Tunji Bello, who announced the closure of the markets, said both markets were closed for flagrant abuse of the environmental sanitation law and indiscriminate loading and off- loading of goods on the main road, creating traffic bottlenecks for other road users.
According to him, there were inadequate toilets in the markets, while traders messed up the surrounding environment with human wastes, saying the closure of the markets became inevitable after several unheeded warnings to forestall epidemics and other health hazards in the state.
Mr Bello said markets were meant for business activities and not for residential purposes and that converting markets to residential purpose would evidently cause untoward consequences on the environment.