The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has apprehended six suspected members of a notorious “one-chance” syndicate operating under the Ijora Bridge corridor in Lagos.
The suspects were arrested on Thursday, October 23, 2025, during a joint inter-agency enforcement operation aimed at dismantling illegal garages, unauthorized parks, and criminal hideouts across Apapa Road, Costain, and Ijora under bridge.
Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment, Adebayo Taofiq in a statement of Friday identified the suspects as Adetunji Bashiru (28), Sulaiman Kada (35), Abubakar Bala (42), Abubakar Ahmed (28), Rasaq Gbadamosi (21), and Ibrahim Yakub (23).
“Items recovered from the suspects included 77 assorted mobile phones, two POS machines, several wristwatches, and other personal effects believed to have been forcibly taken from unsuspecting commuters and pedestrians.
“The operation, led by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Hon. Sola Giwa, featured operatives from the Nigeria Police Force, Mobile Police (MOPOL), Lagos State Task Force, Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC), the Nigerian Army, and LASTMA.” He added.
Adebayo noted that preliminary investigations revealed that the Ijora under-bridge axis had long served as a criminal enclave, harboring miscreants, illegal traders, and “one-chance” syndicates involved in theft, violent assaults, and the storage of stolen items and contraband goods.
Enforcement officers also uncovered and seized several kegs of adulterated diesel and over 150 packs of expired plantain chips and cheese balls stored under unsanitary conditions, posing serious threats to public health and safety.
In addition, more than 120 illegal shanties, including structures erected along the perimeter fence of St. Peter’s Catholic Nursery and Primary School, Apapa Road, were demolished to restore urban order and cleanliness.
Speaking on the development, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Hon. Sola Giwa, reiterated the state government’s zero-tolerance policy toward environmental infractions, unlawful occupation of public infrastructure, and the spread of criminal enclaves.
He emphasized that the clean-up and arrests were part of the government’s comprehensive strategy to create a safer and more habitable Lagos.
The General Manager of LASTMA, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, commended the synergy among participating agencies, describing the operation as “a demonstration of inter-agency cooperation at its best.”
Bakare-Oki noted that LASTMA’s mandate extends beyond traffic management to include public safety, environmental protection, and the safeguarding of transport corridors from criminal infiltration.
He also urged residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities to security agencies to support ongoing efforts to sanitize the city’s transport environment.
