The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority has arrested six suspected members of a “one-chance” robbery gang operating under the Ijora Bridge corridor in Lagos.
The Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment, Adebayo Taofiq, said the operation was carried out in collaboration with the police, mobile police, Lagos State Task Force, environmental corps, and the Nigerian Army.
The joint team cleared illegal garages, shanties, and criminal hideouts along Apapa Road, Costain, and Ijora under-bridge.
Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Transportation, Sola Giwa, said the exercise showed the state’s zero-tolerance for illegal occupation of public spaces.
He said, “This operation is part of the Sanwo-Olu administration’s effort to make Lagos safer, cleaner, and more habitable. Criminals and illegal occupants under bridges are warned to vacate immediately.”
Authorities recovered 77 phones, two POS machines, several wristwatches, and other items believed to have been stolen. They also seized kegs of adulterated diesel and over 150 packs of expired snacks.
Giwa said the Ijora area had become a storage point for stolen goods and contraband. “Today’s cleanup has dismantled those hideouts and restored sanity to the area,” he said.
Over 120 illegal shanties were also demolished, including those around St. Peter’s Catholic Nursery and Primary School, Apapa Road.
LASTMA General Manager, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, commended the joint effort, describing it as an example of inter-agency cooperation.
He said LASTMA’s duty goes beyond traffic control to include ensuring safety and preventing criminal encroachment.
The six suspects, Adetunji Bashiru, Sulaiman Kada, Abubakar Bala, Abubakar Ahmed, Rasaq Gbadamosi, and Ibrahim Yakub, have been handed over to the police for investigation.
