No fewer than 168 solar-powered streetlights installed on the Longbridge section of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway have been removed by suspected vandals, raising fresh concerns about the safety of motorists using the busy route at night.
The lights were installed in 2025 along the approximately five-kilometre stretch of the bridge to improve visibility and enhance security for road users.
However, checks along the bridge showed that a large number of the installations had disappeared months after they were put in place.
Several points between the OPIC end of the bridge and Wawa were found without lighting infrastructure, with some poles completely removed.
Observations indicated that the vandalism was carried out in phases. In some locations, stretches of up to 300 metres had been stripped of the solar lights, while evidence at other points suggested that the fittings had been deliberately loosened before the poles were taken away.
The development has caused concern among motorists and traders operating around the bridge, particularly because of the security challenges associated with the route.
The Longbridge is one of the busiest sections of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, carrying large volumes of traffic daily. It has also been associated with attacks on motorists whose vehicles break down on the bridge, especially after dark.
A motorist, Segun, said the disappearance of the lights could make an already difficult situation worse for road users.
He said the systematic removal suggested that the vandals had ample opportunity to dismantle the installations without being detected.
Segun added that the return of darkness to parts of the bridge could make it harder for motorists to identify hazards or suspicious persons, particularly when their vehicles developed faults at night.
A trader in the Wawa area, Dade Aina, also expressed concern over the removal of a light close to an underpass connecting both sides of the area.
She said the location had remained poorly illuminated since the light was taken away earlier in the year, making motorists whose vehicles broke down more vulnerable.
Another trader, Labake Aliu, said the thefts were suspected to have been carried out mostly at night, noting that traders often only discovered that another installation was missing when they resumed business the following morning.
Further checks suggested that some of the poles might have been targeted more than once. Some fittings were found with only one nut remaining, despite the poles originally being secured with two, indicating that the vandals could have loosened the fittings during an earlier visit before returning to remove them completely.
A motorist, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the situation was worrying despite the presence of security personnel around the bridge.
He urged the authorities to increase surveillance and replace the stolen installations before the entire stretch was plunged into darkness.
The motorists also called for tougher measures against scavengers and other individuals involved in the destruction and removal of public infrastructure.
Reacting to the development, the Federal Controller of Works in Ogun State, Richard Adeleye, confirmed that some of the streetlights had been stolen.
Adeleye said suspects had been arrested and prosecuted, adding that the ministry was working on measures to prevent further vandalism.
“We have arrested the vandals and charged them to court. The police can confirm this,” he said, explaining that the arrests were made before he assumed office as acting controller about a month ago.
The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Oluseyi Babaseyi, also confirmed the arrest of suspected vandals operating in the area.
Babaseyi said the suspects were apprehended while allegedly tampering with critical infrastructure and had been taken to court.
He urged residents to report suspicious activities around public facilities to security agencies, assuring that the command remained committed to protecting critical infrastructure in the state.
The latest incident is coming amid growing concerns over the vandalism of public infrastructure in Lagos and Ogun states.
Recently, suspected scavengers reportedly attacked the concrete pillars of the bridge linking Alakija and FESTAC in Lagos, allegedly breaking into the structures to remove embedded reinforcement rods.
The spokesperson for the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Babatunde Akinbiyi, condemned such acts, saying authorities were intensifying public enlightenment while efforts were being made to apprehend those responsible.
He warned that the pursuit of scrap materials must not be allowed to endanger the lives of other road users.