Lagos pedestrians carrying heavy luggage are now required to pay a N100 levy before they can be granted access to the Yaba pedestrian bridge. 

A viral video on Instagram by Guardian Nigeria on Wednesday showed a thug, on two separate occasions, blocking the access of two women carrying loads from climbing the bridge until they paid the N100 levy he demanded.

However, the video also showed other pedestrians without any loads having unhindered access to the bridge.

The video was shared with the caption, “In Yaba, Lagos State, individuals are imposing a fee of N100 on pedestrians carrying loads to use the pedestrian bridge, coinciding with the enforcement of laws against jaywalking in Lagos. Concerned citizens on social media, including X (formerly Twitter), urge the state government to address this issue.”

Peoples Gazette has yet to ascertain if the levy is also imposed on other pedestrian bridges across the state, while it is still unclear if the state government is aware of or has approved the imposed levy.

Attempts to get comments from Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s special adviser on media and publicity, Gboyega Akosile, were unsuccessful. His phone rang out, and he did not respond to messages at the time of filing this report. 

Recently, security agencies in the state have been arresting and charging miscreants who sleep on the bridge to court, a move aimed at encouraging pedestrians to use the bridges and stop risking their lives to cross the highways.