CYRIACUS IZUEKWETraffic gridlock at Jakande Estate junction along Ejigbo/Ikotun Road has remained for several years not only because of bad road, but because of daily tolls allegedly collected by touts and officials who profit from the chaos, http://P.M.EXPRESS investigation revealed on Monday.
The junction, which became famous in 2019 when former Ejigbo Divisional Police Officer, now Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Olabisi Okuwobi, personally controlled traffic every evening to ease movement, is again notorious for spending several hours daily in traffic.
http://P.M.EXPRESS visited the junction at peak hours – 7am-9am and 6pm-8pm on Monday – and found the same pattern repeating: one bad spot with potholes slows vehicles to a crawl, touts rush to drag drivers for settlement, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) officials stop same drivers for document checks, and traffic builds behind into long queue stretching to Ikotun and Ejigbo.
What should be 5 minutes drive now takes 1 hour 30 minutes.
How Much Drivers Pay
Five commercial bus drivers and three tricycle (Keke) riders who ply the route daily told http://P.M.EXPRESS that they pay between N200 and N700 at that single junction daily, apart from what they pay at other parks.
“I pay N300 for Agbero at Jakande, then LASTMA will still say park, bring your papers. If you argue, they will keep you 20 minutes and traffic will build behind you. At the end you will still settle with N500,” a Danfo driver, Mr. Sunday Emeka, who plies Ikotun-Oshodi, said.
A Keke rider, who identified himself as Idris, said: “That road is bad. Once your tyre enters pothole, they will surround you. You must pay. If you refuse, they will hold your Keke and cause go-slow.”
Another driver, Mr. Tunde Adebayo, who plies Ejigbo-Iyana Ipaja, said: “We spend more on tolls than fuel. At Jakande alone, I pay N500 daily. Morning N200, evening N300. If you calculate monthly, that is N15,000 for one junction. And road still bad.”
A female trader, Mrs. Iya Ibeji, confirmed: “I see them every day. They drag driver, LASTMA drag same driver. Na so traffic dey start.”
LASG Agencies Responsible
The Ejigbo-Ikotun Road falls under multiple Lagos State Government agencies:
– Lagos State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure – responsible for fixing the bad road and permanent reconstruction
– LASTMA – responsible for traffic control and stopping illegal toll collection
– LAMATA – responsible for transport planning and BRT corridors including Ejigbo-Ikotun
– Lagos State Parks and Garages Management Committee – responsible for regulating touts and motor park activities
– Ejigbo LCDA – responsible for inner roads maintenance
Residents say none has provided lasting solution in over the years despite petitions
In 2019, when traffic was similar, residents petitioned Ejigbo LCDA and the Lagos State House of Assembly over abandonment of the junction. It took the personal intervention of then CSP Okuwobi, now ACP, who came out every evening at 7pm to control traffic herself, before LASTMA and police returned.
N4.3 Billion Toll Economy
This finding confirms http://P.M.EXPRESS 6-month investigation in 2026 which revealed that Lagos gridlock is a N4.3 billion monthly industry.
At Oshodi, Mile 2, Ojota and Iyana Ipaja, http://P.M.EXPRESS counted and interviewed 40 touts. Average collection per tout was N15,000 to N25,000 daily through tickets, loading fees and forced settlement.
A senior NURTW official in Oshodi had said: “We remit to the union, we settle LASTMA, we settle Police. If there is no traffic, there is no money. Traffic is business.”
Jakande junction has now joined that business, residents allege.
Government Silence
All efforts to get comments from the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation, LASTMA General Manager Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, and Chairman Ejigbo LCDA Hon. Monsuru Oloyede Bello (Obe) were unsuccessful as at press time.
In 2025, Lagos awarded N6.8 billion for solar streetlights and CCTV on major corridors including Third Mainland Bridge and Lekki-Epe Expressway, but similar repair was not seen at Jakande-Ejigbo.
The Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Seun Osiyemi, had in July 2026 said: “We are digitizing ticket payments and removing touts by Q4 2026.” Q4 2026 is now, but touts still operate manually at Jakande.
Residents Recall ACP Okuwobi’s 2019 Intervention
“The road has been bad for over three years. They patch today, it spoils tomorrow. But the collection never stops. That is why nobody wants to fix it permanently,” said Mr. Adebowale Saliu, Jakande Estate resident, who in 2019 commended ACP Okuwobi’s effort.
http://P.M.EXPRESS recalls that in 2019, ACP Okuwobi’s community policing not only eased traffic but also attracted a N7.5 million office annex built by Grooming Centre Microfinance Bank for Ejigbo Division to appreciate her work.
Today, residents say LASTMA and police presence is irregular after 8pm.
“After 8pm, there is no LASTMA, no police. We use torchlight to control traffic ourselves. Last week, Keke had accident because of that pothole. Nobody came,” Mama Blessing, trader at the junction, said.
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