Traders appeal to Ambode to reopen Mile 12 market

Traders at Mile 12 Market, Ketu, Lagos, on Thursday pleaded with Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode to reopen the market which was shut following late week’s bloody clashes in the area.

Alhaji Haruna Mohammed, the Chairman, Perishable Traders Association at the market, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the continued closure of the facility would further impoverish members.

The market was on March 3 shut following violent clashes which according to the police left 10 people dead and several houses and cars razed.

The governor said the closure was to restrict movement in adjourning streets to enable security agencies to restore peace to the area.

A stakeholders’ meeting was held on March 8 at the palace of Oba of Lagos.

Mohammed said the closure had forced the owners of perishable items like tomatoes, pepper and others to resort to auctioning them to recoup their investment.

The situation, he noted, had also forced traders bringing the perishable items to Lagos to discharge them at Kara and Ibafo in Ogun as well as at Ile Epo Market and Odogunyan in Ikorodu.

“Most of the trucks cannot offload their contents at Mile 12 market because of the closure by the state government.

“Our members have lost millions of naira since the closure of the market …the effect of this on the traders cannot be quantified,” Mohammed told NAN.

Alhaji Yahaya Ahmed, a trader at Kara market, lamented the huge losses being recorded daily as the commodities were left to rot.

“A big basket of tomatoes or pepper now sells for as low as N4, 000 against the former price of N7, 000 before the closure of the market.’’

Another trader, Alhaji Yinusa Jubril, also said:“I started selling off the produce because the truck owner threatened to dump them anywhere if I fail to remove them.’’