I have seen the concerns being raised about the vandalisation of the Niger Bridge, and I find them deeply disturbing.
We have become so accustomed to the theft of public infrastructure that the disappearance of manhole covers, streetlights, transformer components and other public assets barely shocks us anymore. But a bridge is different. This is not merely government property. It is a critical piece of national infrastructure carrying thousands of people, vehicles and businesses every day.
What makes this particularly frightening is that we may be moving from stealing what can easily be removed to deliberately dismantling the very components that hold critical infrastructure together.
And before anyone says there is the Second Niger Bridge, reports of vandalism and theft of metal components from that bridge should make us even more uncomfortable.
The question is no longer simply: who is stealing these things?
We must ask the bigger questions: Who is buying them? Who is facilitating access? Where are these stolen components ending up? Why are critical national assets not being adequately protected?
There are practical things government can do.
First, every critical bridge and major infrastructure corridor should have a dedicated security and surveillance plan, including CCTV, intelligent monitoring and regular physical inspection. Technology should not merely be installed; it must be actively monitored and linked to rapid-response security teams.
Second, government must create a system of routine structural audits, particularly for components that can be removed or tampered with. The objective should be to detect missing bolts, nuts, reinforcement, expansion joints and other critical components before they become a structural emergency.
Third, we need to attack the market that makes vandalism profitable. Scrap-metal dealers and recycling businesses dealing in public infrastructure materials should be subjected to strict traceability requirements. If someone arrives with hundreds of bridge bolts, road barriers, manhole covers or other suspicious metal components, there should be a system that makes it impossible to simply buy and sell them without questions.
Fourth, there must be serious consequences for the entire chain, not merely the person caught carrying the stolen metal. The person who steals it, the person who transports it, the person who purchases it and anyone who facilitates access to the infrastructure should all face the law where evidence supports it.
Finally, communities around critical infrastructure should be made part of the protection system. People who live around these bridges often see suspicious activities long before government agencies do. A properly structured whistleblower mechanism, with protection and meaningful incentives for credible information, could make a significant difference.
We cannot continue waiting for catastrophe before taking infrastructure vandalism seriously.
A bridge is not just concrete, steel and bolts. It is an investment of public resources, a connection between communities and economies, and ultimately a structure on which human lives depend.
I sincerely hope we never get to the point where we discover that the bridge we assumed was safe has been quietly stripped of the very components that make it safe.
Prevention is infinitely cheaper than rebuilding after disaster. And protecting public infrastructure must become a national security responsibility, not an afterthought.
Solomon Dalung Esq.
