LASTMA arrests one-chance suspects in a major Lagos raid, recovering stolen items as the state intensifies efforts to clear criminal hideouts under bridges

LASTMA arrests one-chance suspects in a coordinated security operation beneath the Ijora Bridge corridor in Lagos, marking a decisive move by the Sanwo-Olu administration to rid the city of criminal elements and illegal settlements.

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According to a statement by the Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department of LASTMA, Adebayo Taofiq, the six suspects were apprehended on Thursday, 23 October 2025, during a joint enforcement exercise targeting unauthorised garages, shanties, and hideouts along Apapa Road, Costain, and the Ijora under-bridge area.

The high-impact operation involved officials of the Nigeria Police Force, Mobile Police, Lagos State Task Force, Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps, and the Nigerian Army, reflecting the government’s intensified efforts to safeguard public spaces.

Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Sola Giwa, said the exercise underscored the administration’s zero-tolerance stance toward environmental violations and criminal activities in public corridors.

“This clean-up and arrest operation demonstrates our firm commitment to ensuring a safer, cleaner, and more habitable Lagos. Criminal elements still occupying public spaces are advised to vacate immediately,” Giwa said.

Recovered items from the suspects included seventy-seven mobile phones, two POS machines, several wristwatches, and other personal effects believed to have been stolen from commuters. Officials also seized kegs of adulterated diesel and over 150 packs of expired snacks.

Giwa described the Ijora under-bridge axis as a long-standing criminal enclave. “This area had evolved into a secret storage hub for stolen valuables and contraband goods. Today, we have dismantled these hideouts and restored order,” he stated.

The enforcement team also demolished more than 120 illegal shanties, including those near St. Peter’s Catholic Nursery and Primary School on Apapa Road.

“By reclaiming these spaces, we are restoring urban integrity and ensuring that public areas serve legitimate purposes,” Giwa added.

The General Manager of LASTMA, Mr Olalekan Bakare-Oki, praised the inter-agency collaboration, describing it as “a powerful example of coordinated governance in action.”

He emphasised that LASTMA’s responsibilities extend beyond traffic control. “Our mandate includes public safety, environmental protection, and securing transport corridors against criminal encroachment,” he said.

Bakare-Oki urged residents to stay alert and report suspicious activities promptly, assuring that the government remains determined to sanitise and secure Lagos.

The six arrested suspects — Adetunji Bashiru (28), Sulaiman Kada (35), Abubakar Bala (42), Abubakar Ahmed (28), Rasaq Gbadamosi (21), and Ibrahim Yakub (23) — have been handed over to law enforcement authorities for further investigation and prosecution.

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This latest enforcement operation, authorities say, forms part of a broader effort to reclaim the city’s infrastructure from illegal occupants and reinforce public safety across Lagos.ractively in search results.