Mile 12 Market area:

By Eromosele Ebhomele

Following the fracas between Hausa people and their host Yoruba community in the Mile 12 area of Lagos, the state government may be planning to relocate the popular Mile 12 Market and ban commercial motorcycle riders.

The fracas, reportedly caused by a commercial motorcycle rider, led to the death of about 12 people while many buildings and cars were also destroyed.

Commissioner for Information in the state, Steve Ayorinde, gave the hint while speaking during a television programme monitored by our correspondent on Monday.

Ayorinde noted that as the city grows, there was need to review urban renewal challenge adding that the recommendation from stakeholders in the area is that the market be relocated.

He added that this was the right time to review the recommendation of stakeholders passed years ago especially since this is also the recommendation of people in the area.

He also said there could be a ban on the use of commercial motorcycles in the area.

Since the incident, there have  been calls for the market to be relocated as recommended some years ago.

Former lawmaker in the state Mufutau Egberongbe, had told our correspondent that to ensure lasting peace in the area, the market should be relocated.

According to him, relocating the market to the Lucky Fibre area of Ikorodu in Lagos State would ensure free flow of traffic and rejuvenate economic activities in the area.

He also suggested that the Mile 12 market should be turned into a housing estate for low income earners.

“The place is a vast land and would be useful in this regard,” Egberongbe said.

Also on Monday, the members of the State House of Assembly called for the relocation of the Mile 12 and the Owode Onirin markets from its current location to a more conducive place.

In a motion moved by Jude Idimogu, the House was divided on where to relocate the markets. The lawmakers later asked that the markets should be relocated to anywhere conducive.

Speaker Mudashiru Obasa noted that “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.