By Olasunkanmi Akoni
Wonders they say,shall never end. This best describes what the Lagos State Task Force on Environmental and Other Special Offences, led by Superintendent of Police, Bayo Sulaimon discovered during the on-going massive reclamation of loops and illegal structures built under the bridges in the state.

The exercise followed the directive by Governor Babatunde Fashola and endorsed by the Federal Government for the removal of all abandoned and illegally parked vehicles around Apapa area particularly, along Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, Ijora, Creek Road, Marine Bridge as well as the cleaning up of bridges in the area.

*Debris under the bridge at Ijora after the evacuation of squatters.

The State government had few weeks ago handed a seven-day ultimatum to all illegal occupants of the road, including owners of tankers, trailers, roadside shanties and squatters living under bridges to quit or be forced out.

The ultimatum took effect from Sunday April 29, setting the stage for the full enforcement of the order by Governor Fashola, who during earlier visits to the area, expressed shock at how the once quiet and serene Apapa area had been messed up by tanker and trailer drivers and the owners of tank farms.

Determined to ensure that the roads are rid of the tankers, the Federal Government, through the Presidential Taskforce headed by Sylvester Monye, who is also chairman of the Ports Reform Committee, had on Friday made known its involvement with Lagos to dislodge errant tanker and trailer drivers who turned the corridor into a nightmare for road users and residents.

The operation involving the two levels of the government is being supported by teams of well-armed mobile policemen, army, navy and air force, following weeks of consultations with stakeholders, including transport unions, National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, among others.

Monye, who heads the Presidential Task Force, said it was now time to act to restore sanity on the corridor and ease access to the Apapa and Tin Can Ports which handle the bulk of shipments into Nigeria.

“We are ready to take these people out. We have had extensive consultations with various stakeholders because we chose not to take anyone unawares and with the strong support of the Lagos State government, I believe we will succeed this time. What we want to do is to replicate the huge success at Oshodi in Lagos,” he said.

President Goodluck Jonathan had directed the Acting Inspector General of Police, the Garrison Commanders of the Army, Navy and Air Force to provide the critical support for the operation to ensure total clearance of all the trucks and their drivers if they fail to exit the corridor.

Precisely a week ago, the taskforce bulldozers rolled to the notorious Ijora bridges removing thousands of abandoned vehicles and demolishing several illegal structures. In the process thousands of illegal squatters with their children were displaced.

While, speaking with Vanguard Metro, VM, over the development, the Task Force boss said his team had a very difficult time getting rid of the squatters who put up a lot of resistance. At Ijora Olopa Bridge, brothels, business centres, makeshift cinemas and lotto offices were among the many structures that went down during the clean-up exercise. Children of different ages were among those evacuated from  under the filthy bridge.

One of the major discoveries was a big hole that leads inside the bridge where squatters turned into a room and parlour. Various personal belongings like television and radio sets, and mattresses were said to have been removed. It was believed that the occupants must have been using the place as a hideout while carrying out their nefarious activities. No one, however, was apprehended in the process.

Earlier, all kinds of dangerous weapons, including cutlasses, guns, arrows and charms were recovered in the rubbles at Marine Bridge, Apapa.

Speaking with VM, one of the displaced persons, who simply identified himself as Jimoh, said: “My brother, I am a transporter; I didn’t  have any place to go. I have been living under this Ijora Bridge for the past 15 years. I have my family here. The Lagos State government just brought their bulldozers to demolish my house. Where do I go from here?

Another displaced victim at Ijora 7-UP Bridge, who simply identified himself as Alhaji Ahmed, pleaded with Governor Fashola to give them special consideration as commercial bus operators.

“This is the popular Motor Garage known for Kwara inter-states transport, where travellers come from all over the metropolis to board vehicles to Kwara. We have been operating here   for over 30 years without any hassles until now. This is where we get the means of our livelihood. We are begging the governor to have a rethink on the evacuation exercise as we are ready to abide by any environmental laws,” Alhaji Ahmed pleaded.