FG deploys Coastal Highway Guards to protect Lagos-Calabar road
The Federal Government has deployed a special security team, known as the Coastal Highway Guards, to protect the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway against vandalism, illegal occupation and other unauthorised activities.
Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, inaugurated the team on Sunday with an initial deployment of 40 officers.
The development was disclosed in a statement by Jubril Gawat, Senior Special Assistant on New Media to the Lagos State Governor.
The 750-kilometre, 10-lane highway is designed to link Lagos with Cross River State, passing through Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers and Akwa Ibom states.
According to Gawat, the guards will maintain a security presence along the highway, monitor and report suspicious activities, prevent vandalism and keep hawkers, motorcycles, tricycles and loiterers off the project corridor.
The team, led by retired General Adekunle Shodunke, will work in collaboration with other security agencies in Lagos State.
Umahi said the deployment was a full-time security assignment aimed at protecting critical national infrastructure and was not an empowerment programme.
The minister had earlier raised concerns over the theft of construction materials and illegal occupation of parts of the highway.
“We have had very terrible, unpatriotic elements removing the blocks, breaking the fence, removing the rods and treading on the highway. This must stop,” Umahi said.
He directed the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos to ensure that motorcycles, tricycles, hawkers and other unauthorised users were kept off the highway.
Umahi also disclosed that during an inspection of the project with members of the National Assembly at about 11pm, he found people sleeping on the road.
“No hawking, no occupation illegally along the entire coast,” he said.
The minister further urged the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to strengthen the protection of strategic national infrastructure.
He also disclosed that the Ministry of Works had opened its ongoing projects to scrutiny by anti-corruption agencies.
