No fewer than 168 solar-powered streetlights installed along the Longbridge section of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway have been stolen by suspected vandals, raising concerns over the safety of motorists using the busy route at night.
The streetlights, installed in 2025 along the approximately five-kilometre bridge, were designed to illuminate the stretch and improve visibility and security for road users.
However, several months after installation, the lights reportedly began disappearing gradually.
During a visit to the bridge on Tuesday, several sections were found to have been stripped of their street-lighting infrastructure. A count of vandalised points from the OPIC end of the bridge towards Wawa showed that about 168 solar-powered streetlights had been removed.
The suspected vandals appeared to have carefully dismantled the installations, loosening the screws and nuts securing the poles to the bridge before removing and carting them away.
Some lights had been removed at intervals, while others were vandalised along stretches of up to 300 metres. At some locations, there were also signs that the poles had been forcibly removed.
The Longbridge carries heavy vehicular traffic daily, with thousands of motorists using the route to connect Lagos with other parts of the country.
The bridge is also notorious for attacks by hoodlums who reportedly target motorists whose vehicles break down, particularly at night.
The installation of the solar streetlights was therefore expected to improve visibility and help reduce the vulnerability of motorists along the route.
Motorists and business owners, however, expressed concern that the gradual disappearance of the lights was returning the bridge to darkness and exposing road users to increased risks.
A motorist, who identified himself simply as Segun, said the theft appeared to have been carried out systematically.
“This is very sad. The theft was carefully carried out by a number of people because no one would remove a streetlight in 10 minutes. So, they must have taken their time to do it,” he said.
Segun warned that the removal of the lights could make it more difficult for motorists to see clearly at night and increase the risk of attacks.
“It is frightening because this bridge is already known for attacks on motorists whose vehicles develop faults,” he added.
A business owner at Wawa, Dade Aina, also lamented the removal of a streetlight near an underpass linking both sides of the area.
She said the area had been left dark since the light was removed earlier in the year, adding that the situation was particularly worrying because motorists whose vehicles break down at night could become easy targets for criminals.
Another business owner, Labake Aliu, said the theft was suspected to have been carried out mostly at night.
She said most business owners close their shops by 7pm and only learn about newly removed streetlights from people travelling along the Longbridge the following morning.
Further observations suggested that the vandalism may have been carried out gradually. Some poles were found with only one nut remaining instead of the two used to secure them, indicating that vandals may have initially loosened one nut before returning later to remove the second and take away the poles.
Some motorists also expressed concern that the theft had continued despite the presence of security personnel along the axis.
One motorist, who spoke on condition of anonymity, urged the authorities to identify those behind the vandalism and prevent further theft.
“The lights were installed for a reason. There used to be police officers patrolling the bridge, and some were also seen sitting at the makeshift post along the bridge.
“But it is surprising that despite their presence, the solar lights are still going missing. This is not just about the darkness; it can also increase the risk of accidents and criminal attacks,” he said.
The motorists called for increased surveillance along the bridge and the prompt replacement of the stolen streetlights. They also urged authorities to intensify efforts to curb the activities of scavengers and other vandals targeting public infrastructure.
When contacted on Wednesday, the Federal Controller of Works in Ogun State, Richard Adeleye, confirmed the theft.
He said some suspects allegedly responsible for the vandalism had been arrested and charged to court, adding that measures were being put in place to prevent further incidents.
“We have arrested the vandals and charged them to court. The police can confirm this. I just resumed office as the acting controller a month ago, and the arrests were made before I resumed. Meanwhile, we are putting strategy in place to stop the theft,” Adeleye said.
The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Oluseyi Babaseyi, also confirmed that suspected vandals operating along the axis had been arrested.
He said the suspects were arrested while allegedly vandalising critical infrastructure and had been charged to court.
“We have arrested suspected vandals in the act within that axis and charged them to court to face the full weight of the law. The command remains resolute in protecting critical infrastructure and urges residents to promptly report suspicious activities. See something, say something. Stay safe,” Babaseyi said.
The development comes amid concerns over the growing vandalism of public infrastructure in Lagos and Ogun states.
In a recent incident, unidentified scavengers allegedly vandalised the pillars supporting the bridge linking Alakija and FESTAC in Lagos State by breaking concrete structures to remove embedded iron rods.
The spokesperson for the State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency, Babatunde Akinbiyi, described infrastructure vandalism as a recurring problem and called for greater public awareness and the prosecution of those caught in the act.
He urged residents to understand that the destruction of public infrastructure for personal gain could endanger the lives and safety of other road users.
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