NPA Intensifies Fight Against Apapa Gridlock, Clears 1,500 Illegal Trucks On Port Roads

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has intensified efforts to eliminate traffic congestion and extortion along the Apapa port corridors, dismantling over 1,500 illegally parked trucks and unauthorised checkpoints as part of measures to restore order and improve cargo movement.

The managing director of the NPA, Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, said the Authority’s special task force on Apapa road gridlock has recorded significant progress since its inauguration, with security agencies also arresting key operators of illegal toll collection and document falsification.

According to him, “The special taskforce set up to tackle gridlock and extortion on the Apapa port corridors has recorded significant breakthroughs. Over 1,500 illegally parked trucks and unauthorized checkpoints along the port corridors have been dismantled.”

He added that the operation, carried out in collaboration with joint security agencies, is aimed at ending the activities of criminal elements responsible for worsening congestion around the nation’s busiest seaports.

“Working alongside joint security forces, key ringleaders behind illegal tolling and paper falsification have been arrested and handed over to law enforcement agencies for prosecution,” Dantsoho said.

The NPA boss noted that the Authority has also deployed technology to sustain the gains recorded by the task force, with digital surveillance cameras now monitoring major access roads to the ports.

“We have also integrated digital surveillance cameras along primary access routes, including the Mile 2 and Ijora axes, to monitor traffic flow in real time and rapidly respond to deliberate disruptions,” he stated.

Dantsoho said the crackdown complements the Authority’s broader strategy to address persistent congestion around the Lagos ports through technology-driven traffic management and alternative cargo evacuation channels.

He disclosed that the NPA is upgrading the Electronic Call-Up System (Eto) to eliminate illegal human interference and the issuance of fake call-up slips that have contributed to traffic bottlenecks.

“To permanently resolve landside bottlenecks around the Apapa and Tin-Can Island Port Complexes, we are undertaking a major upgrade of the Electronic Call-Up System (Eto). The upgrade will tighten security integration within the Eto platform to eliminate illegal human intervention and the issuance of fraudulent call-up slips,” he said.

The Managing Director further revealed that the Authority has expanded barge operations to move more than 30 per cent of containerised cargo through inland waterways, while regular freight rail services linking the Lagos Port Complex with the Kaduna and Kano Dry Ports are helping to reduce truck traffic on port access roads.

According to him, the combined interventions are expected to improve cargo evacuation, reduce delays for port users and enhance operational efficiency across Nigeria’s port system.