Lagos reveals why burnt #EndSARS BRT buses are yet to be replaced

Lagos State Deputy Governor Dr Obafemi Hamzat said in Lagos on Thursday, August 20, 2026, that the state has struggled to complete its Lagos BRT replacement programme after buses destroyed during the #EndSARS unrest became dramatically more expensive to replace, adding pressure to an already stretched public transport system.

Hamzat made the disclosure during a question-and-answer session with Nigeria Info FM, where he addressed persistent complaints from commuters about the availability of Bus Rapid Transit vehicles across Lagos.

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He said buses that cost the state about ₦80 million each when they were originally acquired now cost approximately ₦280 million, making a full replacement programme considerably more expensive.

“During #EndSARS, if you recall, 200 of those buses were burnt. We bought those buses at that time for 80 million per bus. Now, it’s about 280 million per one,” Hamzat said.

The cost increase illustrates the scale of the challenge confronting Lagos. At ₦280 million per vehicle, replacing 200 buses would amount to roughly ₦56 billion, compared with about ₦16 billion at the earlier ₦80 million unit price.

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But there is an important qualification to the latest account.

The Lagos State Government previously reported a significantly lower number of destroyed BRT vehicles. In October 2020, Commissioner for Information and Strategy Gbenga Omotoso said 80 BRT buses had been burnt during the unrest, comprising 23 large buses at Ojodu and 57 medium-sized buses at Oyingbo. The government valued those losses at about ₦3.9 billion at the time.

A subsequent Lagos government account in 2021 again identified 57 new BRT buses destroyed at Oyingbo and 23 at the Berger terminal, supporting the earlier total of 80 vehicles.

The discrepancy means Hamzat’s reference to 200 destroyed buses cannot readily be reconciled with the state’s earlier published figures. It may reflect a broader fleet calculation, but the latest statement does not provide a breakdown explaining the difference.

The disruption dates back to the violence that followed the #EndSARS protests in October 2020. What began as demonstrations against police brutality and the now-defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad later descended into widespread attacks, arson and looting across parts of Lagos.

Transport infrastructure was among the casualties. The Oyingbo BRT terminal was attacked, while buses at both Oyingbo and Ojodu were set ablaze. The damage became part of a much wider assault on public and private property across the state.

The financial consequences were complicated by insurance limitations. In April 2021, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said the buses had been insured but that the policy did not cover the circumstances surrounding their destruction, particularly incidents involving arson and riots.

Sanwo-Olu nevertheless said the state intended to replace the vehicles and had begun discussions with a local bus manufacturer over buses with specifications similar to those destroyed.

Six years on, the problem has taken on a different dimension. The issue is no longer simply the restoration of vehicles lost in a historic episode of civil unrest. Lagos must also manage an ageing fleet while coping with the rising cost of new vehicles.

Hamzat said the government had anticipated that some buses would have to be removed from service after seven or eight years.

The failure to replace the destroyed vehicles has therefore compounded the pressure created by normal fleet retirement.

“Unfortunately, you know, we’ve not been able to replace all the 200, and that’s what we are seeing today,” he said.

For commuters, the consequence is practical rather than merely financial. Fewer buses mean greater pressure on the vehicles still operating, potentially longer waits and heavier dependence on other forms of transport.

Lagos is consequently looking beyond a government-only solution.

Hamzat said the state wants private operators to play a larger role in acquiring and deploying buses, with government potentially subsidising fares so that residents do not bear the full cost of more expensive vehicles.

The deputy governor argued that private operators could respond more quickly because they would face fewer bureaucratic hurdles associated with government procurement and fleet management.

“Government should not be in the business of managing buses,” Hamzat said, arguing that private operators could be more nimble in responding to changing transport demand.

The proposal represents a significant shift in emphasis. Rather than relying solely on government-funded fleet replacement, Lagos appears increasingly interested in a model in which private capital supplies vehicles while government concentrates on regulation, infrastructure and affordability support.

The approach is also consistent with the state’s broader effort to diversify public transport.

Lagos has invested heavily in rail and waterways alongside its road-based transport network. In 2021, Sanwo-Olu said the government had acquired 20 boats of varying passenger capacities as part of an effort to connect communities through the waterways.

The state has also strengthened security around transport infrastructure since the #EndSARS attacks.

In October 2021, Lagos approved a dedicated 70-member police team to protect existing and newly constructed Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority facilities, following the destruction of transport infrastructure during the unrest.

That history gives the current bus shortage a deeper significance. The challenge is not simply about purchasing vehicles.

It reflects the long tail of infrastructure damage, rising procurement costs, fleet ageing and the growing demands of a city whose population and transport needs continue to expand.

Hamzat said Lagos was also bringing more ferries into operation and improving the rail system, with the aim of creating a more integrated network.

“We are bringing in ferries. Our train is working better. So, by the time we put all this together, then, you know, transportation will be better for everybody in Lagos,” he said.

For now, however, the central difficulty remains clear. The buses lost during the #EndSARS crisis were purchased in a very different economic environment.

With the reported unit cost now approaching four times the original price, replacing an entire lost fleet has become a far more formidable financial undertaking.

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The immediate test for Lagos will be whether private investment, targeted subsidies and the expansion of rail and water transport can close the gap quickly enough to give commuters meaningful relief, while the state clarifies the conflicting figures surrounding the original BRT losses.