Police Absence: Journalist Recounts 16-Hour Traffic Horror on Lagos Roads

Following brutal attacks triggered by the #EndSARS protest that claimed the lives of six officers and sacked 26 police stations set ablaze in Lagos, roads in the state have been deserted by traffic officers bringing much hardship to motorists.

A frontline journalist, Mr Alex Akao, has told how he survived being stuck in the gridlock for 16 hours and 30 minutes.

Here’s the account of his experience that he shared with NewsmakersNG:

Yesterday was a day in history in my over three decades of sojourn in Lagos.

I left my abode in Redemption Camp at 7am driving to make a 3pm appointment at Falomo. I hit the Oworo end of the 3rd mainland bridge at exactly 10.30a.m to meet a gathering traffic on the bridge. Being one who abhors driving against the traffic, I refused to go with several vehicles which were frantically making U-turn at the foot of the bridge, as I trudged on my throttle.

That turned out a big “mistake” as I was on the bridge till 1.30pm long after the closure of the bridge to Island-bound traffic. We were consequently diverted to Adekunle at about 3pm, only to meet yet more protracted “traffic lockdown” as Adekunle police officials had barricaded the road, ostensibly to ward off possible attack on the station. Do you blame them? We were thus left to the mercy of miscreants, street urchins and potential hoodlums who extort motorists before allowing you to make a detour into any of the adjoining streets, leading to nowhere.

All aspirations at this points was just to get out of the traffic! Needless to add that I remained in the rigmarole within Ebute-Meta till about 6.30pm before I found my way back to 3rd mainland bridge…on my way back home.  I got back to Redeem camp at 11.30pm! Let me say this for emphasis: from Redemption Camp to Ebute-Meta and back, there was no single sight of police officials, no LASTMA, no Army…not even the hitherto ubiquitous Road Safety officials!

Welcome back to the state of nature in Lagos and environs.