More Solar Streetlights Vandalised On Longbridge, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, As Darkness Returns

Darkness has returned to the Longbridge section of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway as more solar-powered streetlights installed along the bridge have disappeared. A follow-up visit on Monday found that additional lights previously counted had also been removed, leaving only about 20 standing three kilometres into the bridge, with a few others remaining at both ends near the Warewa and OPIC/Kara sections. No fewer than 168 streetlights had earlier been removed by suspected vandals from the roughly five-kilometre bridge.

Residents Aminat Adio and Bolu Adeogun said the vandalism had continued unabated, with Adeogun noting that vandals appeared to target sections away from areas with frequent pedestrian movement, while lights at both ends near populated areas remained largely untouched. Another resident, Moses, expressed concern that the return of darkness could worsen insecurity on the bridge, which has previously been linked to robbery and attacks on motorists with broken-down vehicles, particularly at night.

Federal Controller of Works in Ogun State, Michael Komolafe, said he was unaware of the fresh removals but expressed concern, disclosing that police patrols on the bridge had been affected after a patrol vehicle was involved in a crash that hospitalised an officer, possibly giving vandals an opportunity to continue their activities.

He said no immediate plan for replacing the vandalised streetlights had been confirmed, stressing that any future replacement effort must be accompanied by measures to prevent renewed vandalism, warning that otherwise “it’s just as if we are working for the vandals.