Olayiwola Matthew
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has arrested six suspected one-chance syndicate under Ijora Bridge, Lagos State.
In a statement signed by the agency’s Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department, Adebayo Taofiq, in Lagos on Friday, the arrest showcases the state’s dedication to safety and crime prevention.
He identified the syndicate as, Adetunji Bashiru (28 years), Sulaiman Kada (35 years), Abubakar Bala (42 years), Abubakar Ahmed (28 years), Rasaq Gbadamosi (21 years), and Ibrahim Yakub (23 years).
Taofiq said LASTMA carried out the “coordinated enforcement operation” on Thursday, recovering “77 assorted mobile phones, 2 POS machines, multiple wristwatches, and other personal effects believed to have been forcibly taken from unsuspecting commuters and pedestrians”.
The agency’s image maker also revealed that the arrest was effected during a joint inter-agency enforcement exercise targeted at dismantling illegal garages and parks operated by commercial transporters, as well as the removal of unauthorised shanties and criminal hideouts around Apapa Road, Costain, and Ijora under bridge.
He added that the operation, led by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Sola Giwa, featured a strong coalition of enforcement operatives drawn from the Nigeria Police Force, Mobile Police (MOPOL), Lagos State Task Force, Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC), and the Nigerian Army.
Taofiq said, “Preliminary investigations have revealed that the Ijora under-bridge axis had long served as a criminal enclave, accommodating miscreants, illegal traders, and ‘one-chance’ syndicates who specialize in orchestrated theft, violent assaults, and dispossession of innocent citizens. The area had also evolved into a clandestine storage hub for stolen valuables and contraband goods.
“During the operation, enforcement personnel also discovered and confiscated several kegs of adulterated diesel and over 150 packs of expired plantain chips and Cheese Balls, which were being hoarded under unsanitary conditions posing grave threats to public health and the environment.
“In addition, the joint task team successfully demolished over 120 illegal shanties, including structures erected along the perimeter fence of St. Peter’s Catholic Nursery and Primary School, Apapa Road, thereby reclaiming the area’s urban integrity and restoring its aesthetic order.”
Taofiq quoted Giwa to have reaffirmed the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration’s zero-tolerance policy towards environmental infractions, the unlawful occupation of public infrastructure, and the proliferation of criminal enclaves across Lagos.
He noted that the clean-up and arrests were integral components of the government’s holistic strategy to ensure a safer, cleaner, and more habitable metropolis.
He further issued a stern warning to criminal elements and illegal occupants still operating beneath bridges and in unauthorized spaces to vacate immediately, emphasizing that similar enforcement operations would be sustained with renewed vigor until full compliance is achieved across the State.
The General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, commended the professional synergy among all participating enforcement agencies, describing the exercise as a demonstration of inter-agency cooperation at its best.
He reiterated that LASTMA’s mandate transcends conventional traffic management, extending into public safety, environmental protection, and the safeguarding of transport corridors from criminal encroachment.
He urged residents to remain vigilant, report suspicious activities promptly, and cooperate with ongoing government efforts to sanitize and secure the city’s transport infrastructure.
“Their cases would be transferred to the appropriate law enforcement authorities for further investigation and prosecution in accordance with the law,” the statement added.