Vandalism on coastal highway declines as police, community intensify surveillance
Lagos, April 2026 (TBL Africa) The Federal Ministry of Works says the rate of vandalism on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is reducing following increased collaboration between host communities and security agencies in surveillance.
The Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Mr Olufemi Dare, made this known in an interview on Tuesday in Lagos.
“We are solving the problem. What we are doing now is to engage communities. There are communities along that road, and they help to track those involved.
“The communities know the people stealing these materials; so, we are working with them and the police to address it,” he said.
According to him, the perpetrators wait for any little time the police are not on the highway to carry out the vandalism.
“Once they see that police have passed, they come back to do what they want to do. When they notice security operatives approaching, they run into the bush,” he said.
The controller expressed joy that security interventions were yielding results.
“The vandalism has gone down a bit. We are winning the war,” Dare said.
Dare said that solar-powered streetlights on the route were fully operational.
“The solar-powered lights on the coastal road are working perfectly. If you pass there at night, visibility is excellent,” he said.
The police, in February, launched a 24-hour anti-crime patrol on the coastal highway.
The initiative was aimed at boosting security – protecting people and safeguarding construction works on the highway.
Following the opening of the road in December 2025, Lagos State Police Command deployed 50 patrol teams, each comprising five officers, as well as four mobile patrol units to operate daily on the highway.
The patrol teams were charged with protecting construction workers and ensuring that installed facilities, including lighting systems, barriers and fences, would not be vandalised.
