Allen Avenue: Commercial zone which duplicates as red-light district of Lagos

If you have stayed in Lagos for some time, you will have heard of the famous place, Allen Avenue. While some think of it as an avenue and a junction where they can board a vehicle to their destination, others see it as one of the hottest places in Lagos during the night and day.

If you have never stayed in Lagos, the dual Allen Avenue lane is always lively because of the non-stop business that goes on there. But should businesses not be for the day and rest for the night? An unconventional street indeed.

Table of Content hide 1What is Allen Avenue? 2What happens in Allen Avenue? 3Why is Allen Avenue the red-light district of Lagos?

What is Allen Avenue?

Allen Avenue is a road in Ikeja, the capital of Lagos State. It is one of the busiest roads in Lagos’s capital city. This dual-lane road serves a tripartite purpose.

This route connects commuters to several roads and places in Ikeja such as Adeniyi Jones Avenue, Awolowo Road, Opebi Road, Computer Village, Alausa, Lagos Secretariat and Ikeja under bridge. This avenue is accessible as people can quickly get buses. to their destinations.

Lagos is known for traffic, and Allen Avenue has it in spades. From 4 pm downwards, there is always heavy traffic because workers have started leaving their various offices to get home. The location, along with its proximity to Alausa, the seat of government in the state, makes it one of the most important financial hubs within Lagos State.

Another purpose this avenue serves is that it accommodates various businesses. The area has been designated as a commercial zone and it houses several banks, warehouses, offices, eateries, stores and pharmacies among others. The avenue has also been described as one of the most affluent areas in Lagos, with many luxurious residences. Getting a house in the environs of Allen Avenue is quite expensive because of its location and its strategic position to various businesses within the Ikeja axis.

Allen Avenue also serves as an entertainment hotspot for workers and residents of Lagos. There are several clubs, bars and hangout spots on the avenue that people visit after work hours. It is also regarded as the red-light district of Lagos, with several brothels and strip clubs located within the area. More focus on the red-light district aspect of this area will be examined later in this article.

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What happens in Allen Avenue?

Allen Avenue is the place that never sleeps, always bubbling with life and activity. There is always something to see and someone on the street, whether it is during the day or night. A lot of business goes on at Allen Avenue, both during the day and night; it all depends on the kind of business you are interested in.

During the day, the area is characterised by numerous banks, hawkers, sellers, fast food joints, shops, boutiques, hotels, restaurants, etc. There are people in the area from bureau-de-change operators calling you to come and change dollars to food vendors by the roadside. Over the years, the commercial strip constantly changes as one building or market gets demolished occasionally. Hence, things are always in motion there.

However, as the sun goes down and the sky gets darker, Allen Avenue takes on a darker reputation as it moves from a commercial hub to a space where women sell their bodies for money and men who seek to satisfy their fleshly desires come around. At night, it is no place for kids. One thing is a constant, though, business goes on during the day and night. To keep the nightlife bubbling, hot and spicy suya is being sold along the road, and banks are well-lit with lights from their automated teller machines (ATMs) illuminating the street, enticing you to withdraw and spend your money on the pleasures the night has to offer.

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Why is Allen Avenue the red-light district of Lagos?

All over Lagos, there are many places to see sex workers, but Allen Avenue has become an established space over the years. This area is known as the red-light district of Lagos because it is filled with many sex-oriented businesses like brothels and strip clubs and providers of these sexual services like prostitutes and strippers.

From the 1980s to date, Allen Avenue has been known to be a hub where sex workers established themselves and got clients. Men with expensive cars often come by to pick up women for the night. Others stroll into the strip clubs to ease out the stress of the day. Many businesses, like the hotels around this environment, make a lot of money from these activities. Hence, they ensure to provide the right services like good music, the perfect dark and cosy atmosphere, food and accommodation, among others, to encourage these activities.

Allen Avenue is still known for its notorious nightlife in recent times, which some call the ‘Sodom and Gomorrah’ of Lagos. You can get a room in some hotels there for as low as N5,000 to N10,000 per night. Nightlife on Allen Avenue is never dull, as a lot goes on down there. The area provides different types of sexual pleasure to fulfil most of your fantasies, accompanied by the workforce to achieve it. It is no wonder Allen Avenue is the red-light district of Lagos.

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