The Third Mainland Bridge is one of the three longest bridges in Nigeria crossing the lagoon, connecting Lagos Island to the mainland.

Linking Iyana-Oworo on the mainland to Adeniji Adele on the island, this bridge which is about 11.8 kilometre in length was built by Julius Berger Nigeria Plc.

Though phase one of the project was commissioned by President Shehu Shagari in 1980, it was completed by former military president, Ibrahim Babangida in 1990.

Daily, the Third Mainland Bridge experiences heavy vehicular traffic, mostly on weekdays as residents commute across it to work and business places.

Despite the importance it places by making commuting hassle-free and fast to and from the island, the latest experiences shared by car owners can send shivers down the spine and make the heart palpitate dangerously when the need arises to journey on the stretch.

Saturday PUNCH learnt that at nightfall, motorists whose cars break down on the bridge always have dreadful experiences to recount.

Our correspondent gathered from several residents whose vehicles developed faults about being accosted by street urchins and extorted.

Other motorists who shared their ordeals on social media platforms reported that the hoodlums also threatened to push them into the lagoon or inflict bodily harm on them if they refused to hand over the exorbitant sums of money demanded due to their broken-down vehicles.

Findings by our correspondent revealed that these louts, who often parade the bridge at night call this illegal fee “owo daku” (money for car failure).

Sadly, car owners who refuse to part with the sum demanded by the hoodlums may have a part of their vehicles removed or damaged.

Saturday PUNCH also gathered that this menace is not limited to the Third Mainland Bridge as it is also a regular experience of private vehicle owners who ply the Gbagada-Iyana Oworo link, Ojota, Ketu, Ikeja Along, Ogudu, Palmgroove, among others.

Vehicle owners narrate near-death ordeals

A Lagos resident, Anthony Ojosipe, who works on the island, said, “I personally experienced this sometime in April. It was a terrible experience. I was coming from the office and it was late in the evening.

“My car didn’t even break down, I merely parked it just to check something I observed. Within a few minutes, these thugs just surrounded me. It’s as if they have been watching me from somewhere when I parked.

“I quickly entered my car and started my engine. They were shocked because they thought my car had broken down. But these guys were still vicious; they started demanding money because I parked. One of them wanted to break off my side mirror if I didn’t comply. I told him he could have it and drove off from there.”

Also narrating his ordeal, another motorist, Abiodun Oyebade, told our correspondent that he had been extorted twice, first on the Third Mainland Bridge and another, at Ogudu.

“It was in late 2022 and my car suddenly broke down on the bridge one evening. While I was still trying to figure out what went wrong, three young guys walked up to me and said they would tow my car if I didn’t give them N300,000.

“It was there I lost it. We got into a long argument and I saw that those guys were hoodlums and were ready to do something bad. I eventually paid them N5,000 before they let me be,” Oyebade said.

Unlike Oyebade, a content creator, Solomon Abu, disclosed that he was rescued by some patrol men who chased away the louts.

He said, “I experienced this when I and my colleagues were coming back from a shoot. Those thugs threatened to throw us in the water if we don’t comply but thanks to some patrol men who came to our rescue that day.”

Netizens share frightening experiences

On August 6, an X user named, JamesofGod (@jamysax) called the attention of the Lagos State Government to ugly incidents on the bridge and questioned the role of security agencies.

He wrote, “Dear Babajide Sanwo-Olu, people’s cars can’t develop faults on Third Mainland Bridge without thugs in numbers four, five and six gathering around them and asking for a huge sum of money. They are ready to push them into the ocean if they do not comply.

“How is this even happening for Christ’s sake? Are there no security personnel on Third Mainland Bridge to monitor the activities around there? Do you know how many lives have been lost due to this? This should not be happening in a sane state. Please do something. This has been happening for years, and yet it keeps happening.”

Work in connivance with security agencies, victims allege

In his replies, which were monitored by our correspondent, several other X users narrated their experiences with hoodlums on the Third Mainland Bridge as well as on the Carter and Eko bridges.

An X user, Oluchi Ebiem wrote, “We changed tyre at about 6 am. Six guys just came out of nowhere. The next thing they are telling us is to pay N5,000 for changing a tyre on their land.

“When we refused they slapped our driver and told everyone to submit their phones. Immediately that N5,000 they were asking for came out.”

Another X user, Oliver Udo, said, “I had my fair share of experience on Eko bridge in December. You’d wonder if these guys are spirits because they appear from nowhere. The thugs work with the police security, and they share whatever money they extort from you with them.

“The sad thing is that there were police guys with bikes just a stone’s throw away from where I was. They saw everything happening but did nothing.”

“You’re very right. I don’t pray my enemy car breaks down there because bro, Carter Bridge is deadly. People’s experience around there is unimaginable if they tell you. Fear grips me if I’ll ever buy a car in Lagos because if it stops at those points. Run,” Samuel Salami advised.

Also narrating his ordeal, Sodiq Agboola, wrote, “Funny how I’m just coming from the same issue now. I got home at 11 pm. Lucky enough for me, I was able to park at the police post even though no officer was there. I found a towing vehicle and was about to move when one rascal came out of nowhere making demands saying he’d call all his other boys.

“I’ve never been that vocal in my life. I dared him to touch my car and he’d see hell. I ended up giving him N2,000. All this was happening on Third Mainland Bridge at around 8 pm today.

“The towing vehicle I found ended up also having no fuel after towing for about 10 minutes. He also had to call another towing van to tow his own while still linked to mine – basically two towing vans towing each other and a Ford Edge behind. Weirdest experience ever.”

Recounting the experience of a friend, Valerian Nwadike, claimed that the thugs who accosted him came with a Point of Sale machine and he was forced to part with N160,000.

“This happened this year during the Easter period,” he wrote. “His car developed a fault on Third Mainland Bridge close to Oworo. Over 20 thugs came demanding money, they came with POS. He paid N160,000.

“The value of your car determines how much they will bill you. The N160,000 is with ‘Abeg.’ The sad thing is if your car develops an issue at that spot tonight they will still be available to extort money from you by force.”

Narrating his work colleague’s experience a few weeks ago, an X user, Dimeji Olaniyan, wrote, “His car broke down around Adeniji Road going to Third Mainland Bridge. Those area boys came out.

“They didn’t do anything to assist or show empathy. They demanded N50,000 from him. It took the help of the mechanics for them to collect N3,000.”

“My guy and I were driving on Third Mainland Bridge last year October and our car got spoilt. More than six guys came out from nowhere within five minutes. We paid N35,000 to save our lives and belongings. The craziest part, policemen were on the other side watching. We were helpless,” Kolere Folorunsho wrote.

Unemployment and compromise

The Executive Director of Bridge Africa Initiative, Opeoluwa Taiwo, in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, blamed the menace of street urchins in Lagos on a lack of proper youth engagement.

He said, “Many of these young men are unemployed and unskilled, and idle hands are the devil’s workshop. Lack of proper youth engagement in vocational skills and rehabilitation breeds this kind of problem.

“Many youths flock to the city hoping to make it, and you find that most of them end up on the street, begging, harassing people whose cars broke down, stealing, and doing anything to survive. That is why there is a need for proper skill development at the grassroots that will ensure that youths learn vocational skills to earn legitimate income.”

On his part, a Lagos-based legal practitioner, Samuel Akazza, pointed out that most of the persons who loiter on the bridge at night are looking for faulty vehicles and their owners to prey on.

“These guys even have an overwatch who alerts them to come in numbers when a vehicle breaks down. The governor knows this and very soon, some folks will come and tell you some of these guys are good guys who just don’t have a means of living.

“When you have a system where there is a deadly compromise between the hoodlums extorting and terrorising you and those who are supposed to apprehend them, what do you expect to happen?”

LASG reacts

The Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, in a phone interview with Saturday PUNCH, faulted the social media complaints, adding that those incidents were not reported to the police.

He said, “These people who have complained on social media, have they complained to the police? Something happens to them and they go to social media or go to The PUNCH to complain. Is it social media that will arrest the hoodlums for them?

“Anybody can make a claim on social media. There must be facts and figures, but nobody does any investigation or reports to anybody; they rely on social media where people say things that nobody can verify. Have these people complained to the police?

“This is a criminal matter and should be handled by the police, and the police need to speak on this. If anybody attacks you, then you should report it to the police. Let us encourage them to follow the law. This is about all of us doing things right.”

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, did not respond to the text message requesting his comments on the incidents and complaints as of the time of filing this report.

Recall that in May, operatives of the Rapid Response Squad, a unit of the Lagos State Police Command, said it had commenced a 24-hour bike patrol on the Third Mainland Bridge.

The Commander of the RRS, Olayinka Egbeyemi, said this would prevent the harassment of road users by miscreants and urged motorists to cooperate with the patrolling officers.

However, according to some victims of the harassment and extortions, police officers were absent on Third Mainland Bridge and other bridges during their ugly ordeals, and for the few times officers were sighted, no form of assistance or protection was offered. (Sunday PUNCH)

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