The Federal Government has inaugurated the Coastal Highway Guards, a new security unit to protect the multi-trillion naira Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway from vandalism, theft, and illegal occupation.
Minister of Works, David Umahi, launched the unit with an initial deployment of 40 officers. The team will be led by retired General Adekunle Shodunke and will work with existing security agencies in Lagos for round-the-clock surveillance.
Umahi said the move follows reports of concrete barriers being dismantled, reinforcement steel stolen, and illegal squatting along completed and ongoing sections of the road
Under the new operational guidelines, the highway guards will enforce strict restrictions across several areas, including continuous monitoring to prevent the destruction or theft of government assets, enforcing a total ban on commercial tricycles (Keke) and motorcycles (Okada), and prohibiting street hawking, unauthorized trading, and loitering along the alignment.
Umahi emphasized that the guards’ deployment is a full-time security responsibility aimed at protecting vital national assets rather than a social welfare initiative. The Ministry of Works has also urged the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to step up monitoring along the route, noting that infrastructure projects remain open to full oversight by federal anti-corruption agencies.
When completed, the 750-kilometer, 10-lane Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway constructed by Hitech Construction Company Limited will span eight coastal states, significantly boosting regional commerce and maritime transport links between Lagos and Cross River.
