Unidentified scavengers have reportedly vandalised the pillars supporting the bridge connecting Alakija and FESTAC in Lagos State, breaking the concrete to extract embedded iron rods.
A video circulating on social media and obtained by City Round on Friday shows police officers clearing makeshift shelters built under the bridge by suspected scavengers.
In the viral footage, an unidentified man claims that several concrete pillars have been damaged, with the reinforcing iron rods removed. He urges authorities to intervene urgently to prevent further destruction.
“This bridge was constructed to link Alakija and FESTAC, but scavengers have started removing the iron rods from the supporting pillars,” the man says. “They broke the concrete and began extracting the rods. It’s alarming—how can this be happening in Lagos? The bridge, built by the Federal Housing Authority about five years ago, is now at risk. If this continues for another two years, it could lead to imminent collapse.”
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government has announced the arrest of 27 suspected hoodlums in connection with the vandalism.
Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, said in a statement on Friday that the arrests followed the discovery of what he described as a “disturbing act of vandalism” beneath the bridge.
According to Wahab, investigations revealed that the suspects allegedly removed iron rods, steel reinforcements, cables, and other components critical to the bridge’s structural integrity.
He warned that the destruction of these components poses a major safety risk and added that the suspects will be prosecuted in accordance with Lagos State law.
