At about 2:25 a.m. in January 2024, two scavengers entered an upscale estate in the Alimosho area of Lagos State and removed six sets of metal gutter guards covering a drainage channel in front of a twin duplex.
The guards also served as a bridge for vehicles entering the property.
The operation was so swift that the property owners had no idea what had happened until the following morning.
Around 5:30 a.m., one of the residents, Nnamdi Alozie, drove his Hyundai Sonata out of the compound and plunged into the uncovered drainage.
“I couldn’t have imagined that someone would remove the gutter guards in front of a house,” Alozie said, explaining that the gate mechanism had moved the entrance gate away from the affected area, making it difficult to notice that the guards were missing.
It was only after reviewing the estate’s CCTV footage that the residents discovered how two scavengers had removed the metal covers and disappeared with them.
Alozie said he spent more than half a million naira repairing his vehicle.
The incident may have involved private property, but similar activities are now raising far more serious concerns across Lagos as scavengers increasingly target public infrastructure.
From stolen gutter guards to bridge reinforcements
The latest controversy surrounding the Alakija-Festac Link Bridge has brought the issue into sharper focus.
Residents recently raised the alarm after suspected scavengers were accused of breaking through concrete sections of the newly constructed bridge and removing iron reinforcement materials from its supporting structures.
The development immediately triggered concerns about the structural integrity of the bridge and the safety of motorists and other road users.
A video circulating online showed sections of the bridge’s concrete pillars damaged, with reinforcement rods exposed.
The scale of the alleged vandalism shocked residents, particularly because the bridge represents a major public investment designed to improve connectivity between Festac Town and Alakija.
“This is the bridge that was constructed all the way from Alakija to link inside Festac,” a resident said in the video that drew public attention to the damage.
He alleged that scavengers had broken the concrete around the pillars to access and remove the iron reinforcement.
The resident described the development as disturbing and called for urgent government intervention.
Vandalism goes beyond stealing metal
The situation becomes even more troubling when the methods allegedly used by the scavengers are considered.
Rather than simply removing exposed metal, the suspected vandals reportedly broke through concrete sections protecting the bridge’s reinforcement.
In some areas, laterite and sand beneath the bridge were also reportedly excavated, creating hollow spaces underneath the structure.
Other sections of the bridge were allegedly stripped of concrete, leaving reinforcement rods exposed.
Such activities raise concerns beyond theft because structural components removed or damaged could potentially affect the durability and safety of infrastructure.
The central question is therefore no longer simply how much the stolen materials are worth.
It is what happens when the pursuit of scrap metal begins to compromise infrastructure designed to protect and serve millions of people.
Why would anyone vandalise infrastructure they also depend on?
Residents and stakeholders have raised several questions over the growing trend.
Is it ignorance of the consequences?
Is it desperation caused by economic hardship?
Is it the attraction of quick money from scrap materials?
Or has criminal exploitation of the scavenging trade simply become more organised?
Whatever the motivation, the consequences can be severe.
A stolen drainage cover can cause accidents.
A vandalised electricity installation can disrupt communities.
And damage to the structural components of a bridge could potentially expose thousands of road users to danger.
Sanwo-Olu orders action
Following the alarm raised over the Festac-Alakija bridge, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu inspected the site to assess the extent of the damage and determine the necessary intervention.
The incident also triggered a manhunt for those suspected of vandalising the infrastructure.
The state government has continued to intensify enforcement against activities considered threats to public infrastructure, environmental safety and urban development.
Mile 12 bridge raises fresh concerns
Even as authorities responded to the Festac-Alakija incident, another case emerged around Mile 12.
Residents reportedly discovered vandalised sections of an overhead bridge, with part of the concrete covering damaged and reinforcement materials exposed.
A suspected vandal was reportedly caught while attempting to damage the structure.
Residents have consequently called for increased surveillance around bridges and other critical infrastructure across Lagos, particularly at night when vandals are more likely to operate unnoticed.
Scavenging and the security challenge
Scavenging itself is not necessarily criminal. Many people depend on the collection and recycling of discarded materials for their livelihoods.
The concern arises when individuals move from collecting discarded materials to deliberately dismantling public or private infrastructure.
In Lagos, the authorities have previously carried out raids on suspected scavenger settlements.
Last month, the Lagos State Police Command ordered a raid on a scavengers’ enclave along the LASU-Iba Expressway, where drugs and dangerous weapons were reportedly recovered and arrests made.
The developments have strengthened calls for better regulation of the scrap-metal trade and closer monitoring of locations where stolen infrastructure components could be processed or sold.
Calls for tougher enforcement
The reported sentences handed to some suspects arrested over the Festac-Alakija bridge vandalism have also generated concern among residents and stakeholders, with some questioning whether existing penalties are sufficient to deter infrastructure theft.
Under Section 337 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015, wilfully and unlawfully damaging property is punishable by up to three years’ imprisonment.
For residents, however, the issue goes beyond punishment.
They want authorities to strengthen surveillance, improve security around critical infrastructure and make it harder for stolen public assets to enter the scrap-metal market.
Some residential estates in Lagos have already restricted the movement of cart-pushing scavengers within their premises because of concerns over theft and security.
A growing threat to Lagos infrastructure
The removal of a gutter guard may appear insignificant when compared with the construction of a major bridge.
But the two incidents reveal the same underlying problem: valuable infrastructure can become vulnerable when security and monitoring are weak.
For Lagos, where roads, bridges and drainage systems are essential to the daily movement of millions of residents, protecting infrastructure must be treated as seriously as constructing it.
The challenge is no longer simply about stopping people from stealing metal.
It is about preventing criminal activities from turning public infrastructure into a threat to the very people it was built to serve.
