A Lagos State official and a tout have been arrested for extortion on pedestrians using the popular Yaba bridge in Lagos, authorities in the state said on Thursday.
The Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab who had promised on Wednesday to look into the extortion at the Yaba bridge after a viral social media video of the incident, gave the update on his official X handle on Thursday 21st March 2024, confirming the arrest by his men.
“In response to the viral video of some miscreants extorting traders and other Lagosians on a pedestrian bridge in Yaba, I instructed the Corps Marshal of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps
@LAGESCOfficial to immediately arrest the persons and the officer involved.
They will be arraigned immediately in court while the clampdown on those on the run would continue,” he said.
The viral video shared by The Guardian on Instagram showed a thug on two occasions, collecting the illegal levy before giving access to pedestrians with luggage to use the bridge.
The commissioner shared the post alongside a video showing the two thugs arrested linked to the extortion.