Sango Tollgate: Ogun clears roadside traders, demolishes structures

The Ogun State Government has demolished all shanties and makeshift structures along the road setback on both sides of the Sango Tollgate corridor, which connects Ogun and Lagos states.

In a statement on Tuesday, the government said the exercise was aimed at curbing the rising number of road accidents along the busy corridor.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Kafayat Lawal, who led officials to the site, explained that the demolition followed repeated warnings and vacation notices to traders, including those operating at the Sango Underbridge, who failed to relocate.

Lawal noted that the state had provided an alternative location along Plaza Road to accommodate the street traders.

The exercise will clear the Tollgate and Underbridge areas of street trading, which frequently leads to loss of life in the event of accidents and has become a source of concern for the government and well-meaning Nigerians,” she said.

She added, “The state government will not fold its hands and allow street trading in the Tollgate area, which has caused avoidable deaths and permanent injuries due to its hazards.”

Lawal urged affected traders to relocate to the new market provided in collaboration with the Ado-Odo-Ota Local Government and the Olota-in-Council, warning that anyone found returning to the Tollgate or Underbridge areas would face the full weight of the law.

This year alone, multiple lives have been lost and many others injured in separate road accidents along the corridor.

In response, the government pledged to clear the area by relocating illegal motor parks and street traders to safeguard lives and property.