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The scourge of public infrastructure vandalism 17 Sep 2026

Early last month, a video circulated on social media that ought to have shocked Lagos to its core. It showed scavengers and hoodlums chipping away at the concrete pillars of the newly constructed Festac-Alakija Bridge, a vital link along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway. These people were not merely defacing the bridge; they were systematically breaking into the pillars to extract iron rods, steel reinforcements, and cables for sale as scrap metal. 

The footage, which showed extensive damage to the bridge's supporting columns, prompted an immediate response. On Sunday, 9 August, the Lagos State Government, through the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, announced that it had arrested 27 suspects during a coordinated midnight operation. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu subsequently visited the site for an on-the-spot assessment, assuring the public that the bridge remained structurally sound. He condemned the act as "barbaric and criminal" and ordered a manhunt for the perpetrators.

Yet, the manner in which these arrests were made is itself a cause for concern. The suspects were apprehended during a broader enforcement operation by the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) and the Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) task force, which was originally tasked with clearing the Lagos-Badagry corridor of "environmental pollution, illegal motor parks, roadside trading, and market displays". 

The discovery of the vandalism beneath the bridge was incidental to this cleanup. The more likely culprits – the organised criminal networks that finance and orchestrate such large-scale theft, and the scrap metal buyers who provide the market for stolen iron rods – remain at large. Sanwo-Olu himself acknowledged this, vowing to pursue "those who buy or sell materials stolen from government facilities". 

However, the 27 arrested individuals, mostly scavengers operating in the area, are the foot soldiers, not the generals, of this criminal enterprise. They have been made scapegoats for the failure of the system, and the networks that profit from this destruction remain largely untouched. In essence, the arrests are a performance of enforcement that go nowhere in dismantling what is clearly a big problem.

On both sides of the River Niger Bridge, the term "Iron Condemn" has become synonymous with a scourge of infrastructure theft that is systematically dismantling public assets. Iron Condemn refers to the activities of scrap metal scavengers who steal iron fittings, rods, and cables from public and private structures to sell for profit. Their reach is extensive, from the Second Niger Bridge, where vandals have repeatedly stolen heavy iron joints and rail fittings, creating "death traps", to historic monuments like the Zik Roundabout in Onitsha, whose intricate ironwork has been stripped away. 

The authorities are aware of the severity of the crisis. The Anambra State government has outlawed "iron condemned" scavengers due to their deep involvement in kidnapping, robbery, and spying. Mobile courts in Asaba have jailed unlicensed collectors, and the Delta State Police Commissioner has linked the vandalism to the "extremely high level of drugs among the youths", adding that the scavengers are so bold they could "put this house, if possible, in their sack; they can carry it". The Royal Council in Asaba has also imposed a total ban, underscoring that "Iron Condemn" has evolved from a nuisance into a security and economic issue.

This underscores the fact that the Festac-Alakija bridge incident is not an isolated act of mindless destruction but a stark manifestation of a deeper crisis that pits citizens' responsibilities against the failures of governance. The site beneath the bridge, as a Guardian newspaper investigation revealed, was not just a scene of crime but a lawless zone, a "jungle" of makeshift structures, refuse dumps, and shanties where scavengers and criminals operated with impunity. It was from that same area that a few days later, a video emerged of someone in a cardboard tent receiving intravenous drips in what was effectively an unauthorised makeshift hospital. This speaks to a profound failure of civic responsibility. As an Arise News panel noted, Nigerians are quick to criticise leadership, yet the destruction of public assets points to a severe failure of citizens who vandalise taxpayer-funded infrastructure for personal gain. 

At the same time, it is a damning indictment of governance. The state’s absence from this space, its failure to clear shanties, provide security, and enforce environmental laws, created the vacuum that the vandals filled. Sanwo-Olu himself urged residents to take responsibility for protecting public infrastructure, but the burden of protection cannot be on citizens when the state has abandoned its primary duty of maintaining order.

This pattern of infrastructure theft is pervasive across Nigeria. I have mentioned Iron Condemned in the Onitsha metropolitan area, but vandals have previously targeted the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos, stealing safety installations such as solar-powered reflective road studs and bridge railings. The Minister of Works has had to deploy coastal guards to protect the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway. Rail infrastructure is also under siege, with a recent NSCDC operation uncovering a multi-billion-naira railway theft ring and sealing Chinese-linked steel companies allegedly involved in recycling stolen materials. 

Perhaps the most egregious example is the vandalism of the Second Niger Bridge near Asaba, a critical infrastructure project inaugurated in 2023. In May 2026, vandals removed heavy iron joints from the structure, sparking fears over its integrity. A distressed community leader lamented: "Imagine the scale of damage – removing heavy iron joints from a bridge that cost billions of naira. We are destroying our own future". Infrastructure theft has evolved into a "parallel economy," with "buyers, middlemen, and weak enforcement systems" creating a lucrative criminal market. This is a structured assault on the country's assets.

The enforcement response to this crisis has been characterised by a fundamental lack of legitimacy. Proper security does not come from the number of arrests or the harshness of sentences; it comes from the public's trust in the state's ability to protect its citizens and their common goods. When security is seen as arbitrary or performative, it fails to deter crime or build confidence. 

The Lagos State Government's response, while swift, has been reactive. The arrests occurred during a cleanup operation, not a targeted, intelligence-led sting. Governor Sanwo-Olu has called for the "full weight of the law" to be brought against the vandals, but the state's response must be more comprehensive. It must dismantle the criminal networks that profit from this theft. 

The Lagos State House of Assembly has urged the government to strengthen the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps (LNSC) to fight vandalism, and the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF) is seeking international partnerships for security training. However, until the state can project authority over its own territory, these initiatives will be insufficient. The legitimacy that underpins effective security comes from consistent, visible, and fair law enforcement, coupled with a state presence that deters crime before it occurs.

Ultimately, the vandalism of the Festac-Alakija bridge is a symptom of a deeper economic despair that is crippling Nigeria's future. The drivers of this behaviour are the same drivers of the broader insecurity plaguing the country: widespread poverty, unemployment, and a lack of opportunity that makes the short-term gain from selling scrap metal seem like a rational choice to those on the margins. As one resident told News Central TV, "government needs to also assist in subsidising basic amenities or, better still, create job opportunities that would definitely remove more idle minds to more productive things than destruction to make a living". 

The government's response has focused on punishment, not prevention. It has not addressed the socio-economic conditions that make such destruction an attractive livelihood. As long as young Nigerians see more economic opportunity in dismantling the country's infrastructure than in building it, the cycle of vandalism and decay will continue. The bridge they are pulling down is not just a structure of concrete and steel but is the future of a country that is being cannibalised by its own citizens.

Cheta Nwanze is a partner at SBM Intelligence.