Residents and commuters in Ogun State are increasingly alarmed over the activities of hoodlums around the Sagamu Interchange Bridge along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, particularly those travelling to Abeokuta and Sagamu. Reports indicate that the criminals have virtually taken control of the area, ambushing unsuspecting individuals attempting to board vehicles atop the bridge.
The Guardian gathered that these assailants, armed with machetes and other weapons, often demand personal belongings from commuters and pedestrians in broad daylight. Despite the presence of roadside traders under the bridge and in surrounding areas, the attacks have persisted unabated.
Concerns intensified after a message circulated on social media detailing a brutal attack on a pastor returning from a vigil in Mowe on Saturday, March 22, 2025.
In the now-viral message, an unidentified individual recounted the pastor’s ordeal with palpable emotion:
“We really need to know that Sagamu Interchange has turned into the most dangerous zone in Ogun State.”
He went on to narrate the tragic incident involving his wife’s pastor:
“A pastor who happened to be my wife’s pastor went for a vigil on March 21, 2025, at Mowe.
“On Saturday, March 22, he was coming back from Mowe heading to Wasinmi where he was living and having his prayer ground called Ori-Oke Asegun.
“A vehicle going to Ibadan dropped him at about 6.00 a.m. under the bridge at Sagamu Interchange where he wanted to board another vehicle going to Abeokuta.
“He was attacked by hoodlums. Lo and behold, he was brutally cut with cutlasses and other weapons.
“He didn’t get help until about 7.00 a.m. to 8.00 a.m. He was later taken to a nearby hospital but later died.
“Surprisingly, there was a report from the hospital that his case was number four, coming from the same location on that very day, without knowing how many had been taken to other hospitals for treatment.
“My wife and I attended his burial yesterday at Wasinmi, Ogun State. It was a sorrowful event,” he said.
He further urged the Ogun State Government to take urgent and drastic action to stem the killings of innocent people and advised the public to steer clear of the interchange for the time being.
Meanwhile, the Ogun State Police Command has launched an immediate response to the security crisis by suspending all trading activities in the area and deploying a visible security presence. Traders have been ordered to vacate the area, with warnings that anyone found conducting business there would face arrest and prosecution.
Confirming the development, Command spokesperson CSP Omolola Odutola stated in a press release that the police had stepped up surveillance and security operations around the four critical intersections of the Sagamu Interchange.
“A two-hour assessment of the area conducted by the Commissioner of Police revealed illegal trading activities and the presence of touts,” she said.
She added that earlier in the day, security operatives uncovered a criminal hideout within the nearby bush, leading to the arrest of three suspects.
“Thereafter, an immediate disbandment of illegal trading activities under the interchanged bridge was carried out,” she said.
Odutola also noted that, although no official complaint had been filed at any police station, the Commissioner of Police, Lanre Ogunlowo, had taken proactive steps to fortify the area by deploying personnel from the Quick Response Squad, OP Mesa, and Mobile Police Squadron 71.
These officers have now been strategically positioned under the bridge, at nearby roundabouts, and along the inward and outward routes of the affected expressway sections to ensure the safety of commuters and restore order to the interchange.
