Mile 12 fracas: Lagos Assembly calls for relocation of Mile 12 Market

By Lanre Adesanya

The Lagos State House of Assembly has via a resolution, ask the state government to relocate Mile 12 and Owode Onirin markets from its current location to a more conducive place.

This move was sequel to the crisis that occurred in the market last week, where some people lost their lives and properties destroyed, the House said, under matter of urgent public importance moved by Hon. Jude Idimogu, that the incident was unfortunate and could have been averted.

The Assembly consequently called on Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to relocate Mile 12 and Owode Onirin Markets to another location after conducting necessary feasibility studies and when accompanying infrastructures must have been provided.

While commiserating with the family of those, who lost their lives in the incident, the House condemned the killings and the attitude of soldiers stationed at the market, but who could not prevent the crisis.

The House then called on Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to constitute a high-powered enquiry into the crisis and punish the perpetrators.

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The Speaker of the House,Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa had earlier stressed that the incident was a result of discord amongst brothers, adding that the state government should summon courage and come up with a political will on the issue.

“Soldiers have been stationed at the market since 1999, yet they have not been able to solve the problem. There is a police station there, what did the DPO do, when the incident occurred.

“It is a market without structure, we can move the market to another place if we can provide an alternative. We should look at a new planning, we cannot have such a market at the centre of a megacity,” he said.

He emphasised that the matter should be investigated and that the culprits should be brought to book, and that the military men stationed at the market should be investigated since they could not do anything about the matter before it got out of hand, while also suggesting provisions of CCTV in our markets.

In his comment, Hon. Gbolahan Yishawu suggested that the matter should be properly investigated to avoid a -re-occurrence rather than just relocating the market.

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Hon. Segun Olulade representing Epe 2 stressed that lives are lost on regular basis whenever there is crisis in the market.

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“We as lawmakers are representatives of the people of Lagos State. The responsibility of any government should go beyond sentiment and our focus should not be on Mile 12 alone, Owode Onirin is another market that should be moved. It is time we move Mile 12 away from its present site. Also, there is a law in the state that says all markets should close by6pm but this law is not adhered to. Mile 12 should be moved and in moving it, markets like Ejinrin and Odo Irangunshin should be considered,” he said.

The Deputy Speaker of the House, Hon. Wasiu Sanni Eshinlokun stressed that the market was not well organised and that a visit to the place would revealed that it is not a conventional market.