The Federal Government on Wednesday asked all traders operating under bridges to vacate the spaces after a fire gutted the Apongbon end of the Eko Bridge.

 

The affected traders have one week to comply with the quit order, the government said.

 

An early morning fire that razed parts of the Apongbon market destroyed goods estimated at over N800 million naira, and extended to part of the Eko Bridge.

 

The fire was said to have started from one of the shops under the bridge and quickly spread to other shops and in the process destroyed goods, mostly groceries and other consumables.

 

Conducting business activities under bridges is common in Nigeria’s commercial capital where rents, for both residential and commercial property, are quite high.

 

Flames of fire could be seen engulfing the lower end of the bridge as firemen battled for hours to contain the inferno. There are speculations that the fire might have started from petrol stored in one of the shops. Nigeria has been experiencing

 

The Federal Ministry of Works has since ordered the closure of the bridge, a vital link between Lagos Mainland and Victoria Island.

 

A notice announcing the closure of the bridge advised people entering into the Central Business District and CMS should seek alternative routes. They are to go through Yaba, through Oyingbo or Adekunle, and from there to Adeniji or Ebute Ero.

 

Patrons that visit the Apongbon market come from as far as Ghana, Togo, and Benin Republic on the West African coast.