Sack hoodlums living on Abule-Ado Pedestrian Bridge to save lives—ASPMDA
Opinion leaders living and or doing business along the ever busy Lagos-Badagry Expressway have called on the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab to direct the State Environmental Taskforce currently clearing the highways of traders and hoodlums to clear the criminals who have converted every part of the Pedestrian Bridge to their hideout and living apartments.
There is no week that passes without news of vehicles crushing people crossing the Lagos-Badagry Expressway at Abule-Ado Bus Stop.
Findings by Business Hilights during an under-cover visit of the facility revealed that whereas the massive new Pedestrian Bridge had been completed and opened for public use, nobody dares to climb on it to cross both day and night; Reason, deadly looking hoodlums have taken different corners and strategic parts of the bridge as their homes, thus frightening any daring commuter trying to use it. A closer look at the bridge showed that the hoodlums have several attachments of mosquito nets and large canopies as tents and sleeping joints. This, according to many of the Okada riders at the Bus Stop always frighten and discourage passengers in using the bridge.
The result of this ugly scenario is that commuters and passengers are forced to be dashing across the road and in the process many have lost their lives or maimed with life-threatening injuries.
Aside the takeover of the new bridge by hoodlums both day and night, the menace of Okada riders, who have overtaken more than half of the service-lane on both sides of the highway further compound the plights of commuters wishing to cross the highway both during the day and night.
Speaking to our correspondent on the matter, the President of Auto Spare Parts and Machinery Dealers Association (ASPMDA), Hon. Ngozi Emechebe, decried the twin-problems of hoodlums taking over the bridge and menace of Okada riders taking more than half of the road.
He said the scenario has forced even responsible men and women to be crossing the highway instead of using the provided bridge.
He further decried the recent crushing to death of one top ASPMDA member (Late Mr. Okechukwu Ejimofor) at the same spot while attempting to run across the road in the night.
According to him, “had it been that the pedestrian bridge is free of criminals and people are using it, Okechukwu would have used it and he would not have been dead by now.”
Late Ejimofor was hit by a car while he was crossing the road at Abule-Ado and dodging Okada riders who occupied more than half of the service-lane died on the spot.
Hon. Emechebe therefore called on the Governor, whom he described as a listening leader to direct the taskforce to clear the Abule-Ado pedestrian bridge and also force Okada riders away from the service-lane to save lives of the citizens.
