BREAKING NEWS: Federal High Court In Lagos Bans Tolls Collection On Lekki-Ikoyi Bridge

A Federal High Court Judge in Lagos, Justice Saliu Saidu, has on Thursday forbidden and barred the Lagos State Government from further collecting of toll fee from users of the Lekki-Ikoyi Suspension Bridge.

The Judge  held that the power of control of all navigable waterways in Nigeria, resides with the federal government.

The suit was instituted against the  Attorney-General of the Federation, the National Inland Waterways Authority, the Lagos State Government and the state Attorney-General by civil rights lawyer, Mr. Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa.

He had approached  and urged the court to determine whether the imposition of tolls on the users of the bridge and residents of Lekki Scheme 1, Ikoyi, Ajah, Ibeju-Lekki and Epe communities, did not amount to a violation of their rights.

Justice Saidu, in his judgment, declared that since the bridge was built by public funds, imposition of tolls on motorists using it was absolutely illegal.  And since it was public funds that was used for building the bridge, therefore the court held that, there was no basis for the public-private partnership arrangement which was adduced as the justification for toll collection on the bridge.