The theft of a solar battery powering the traffic lights near the Alausa area of Lagos has heightened concerns over the rising rate of criminal activities targeting public property in the state.

Recently, there have been reports of criminals looting construction sites, stealing iron rods, or removing roofs from buildings under construction. However, the removal of the traffic light battery near the government house in Lagos has raised alarm, particularly given its proximity to police presence.

A video posted on X shows a man expressing his anger over the theft of the traffic light battery at the front gate of Alausa, Ikeja, located less than 200 meters from a police station.

This incident is not isolated. There have been reports of missing traffic light cameras across Lagos, with some of the stolen equipment remaining unreplaced for over four years, raising questions about the effectiveness of security monitoring in the state.

A source told The Guardian that the control room in Lagos is non-functional. “Don’t focus on solar traffic light. If the control room was working, they would have discovered that a camera no longer works and it would have been fixed. But the control room is not working, so how would they know that a camera is not functioning?”

“The cameras were looted long ago. Go to Ikeja under the bridge, the one in front of the High Court, the one on Billings Way, Oregun: all have been looted. No camera installed is working, and they collect money every month.”

When contacted, Lagos State Police Command spokesperson Benjamin Hundeyin stated: “The Lagos State Police Command has arrested many vandals, and we will not allow anyone caught in connection to this incident to go unpunished.”

Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotos, also addressed the issue: “I suspect that must have been old equipment, but as far as I know, it’s a criminal matter. If you vandalise government property and you are caught, you will answer for it. We need to see public property as our own property and not allow enemies of the state to steal and loot public property.”

“This is beyond scavenging; it’s pure criminality and vandalism. The government is advocating that citizens should not allow enemies of society to vandalise property. Many people call me whenever they see government property being tampered with, and we alert security officers. Many people have been arrested for vandalism.”