•Bans shanties, truck parking, Okada, hawking, animal grazing on corridor
THE Federal Government has lamented that vandals have carted away kilometres of iron fencing and manhole covers installed along the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.
The enormity of the theft has forced the government to intensify security measures and ban a range of activities on the strategic road.
The Federal Controller of Works in Lagos State, Engineer Olufemi Dare, who disclosed this during a press briefing on the highway on Monday, said about five kilometres of clear-view fencing had been removed, while manhole covers covering an estimated 18-kilometre stretch had also been stolen.
He said the vandalisation was being carried out despite security patrols, with perpetrators allegedly operating at night to cut and remove the metal components of the highway infrastructure.
Dare said the vandals had also removed directional signs along the road, apparently targeting their iron components for resale.
The development, according to him, has become a major concern to the Government because the highway is still under construction, with several bridges and other critical infrastructure yet to be completed.
He said the government was consequently considering replacing some of the clear-view fencing with blockwork, noting that sections protected with blockwork had not experienced similar levels of vandalism.
Dare also disclosed that CCTV cameras were being considered for strategic locations along the highway to strengthen surveillance.
The government has simultaneously launched a wider crackdown on activities it considers capable of compromising the safety and security of the coastal highway.
Dare announced a ban on illegal occupation and shanties, truck parking, illegal U-turns, roadside hawking, animal grazing, motorcycles and tricycles on the highway.
He warned truck drivers against using the highway as a parking area, saying vehicles found parked along the road would be clamped and towed.
Motorcycles, popularly known as Okada, and tricycles, including Keke Marwa, have also been prohibited from operating on the highway.
The Federal controller said illegal occupants and shanties along the route would also be removed, with security agencies expected to carry out enforcement operations.
He said the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Fatai Oladipo, had promised increased police deployment along the highway following meetings with the Minister of Works, Engineer Dave Umahi.
The government is also introducing a community-based coastal guard arrangement, with 40 guards approved for the first section of the road. Dare said additional personnel would be deployed to the second section.