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From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
Oyo State Government has intensified its clampdown on unauthorised activities along the Senator Rashidi Ladoja Circular Road.
The government had arrested several violators, impounded vehicles and removed illegal structures in a renewed effort to protect one of its flagship infrastructure projects from abuse and vandalism.
The enforcement operation, carried out by the Senator Rashidi Ladoja Circular Road Joint Task Force, targeted the completed Phase One section of the highway, which is a 32.2-kilometre stretch, linking the Technical University access point on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway to Badeku Junction on the Ibadan-Ife Highway.
During the operation, the task force officials apprehended motorists for illegally using the high-speed corridor ahead of its official commissioning and commencement of tolling.
Among those arrested was the driver of an overloaded commercial bus that broke down and obstructed traffic after becoming stranded on the tarred roadway.
Several other vehicles found violating restrictions on the road were also seized.
The operation was led by the Executive Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde and Head of the Oyo State New Towns and Cities Development Authority (OYNTCDA), Mrs. Mofoluke Adebiyi, alongside representatives of ministries, departments and agencies that make up the multi-agency task force.
In a further demonstration of the government’s zero-tolerance stance, officials dismantled shanty kiosks erected within the road setback and removed planks, sand heaps and pebbles illegally placed on lined drainage channels to create unauthorised access routes for vehicles, motorcycles and tricycles.
All seized vehicles and confiscated items were subsequently moved to the headquarters of the Oyo State Road Traffic Management Authority (OYRTMA).
The OYRTMA chairman, Major Adesagba Adekoya (retd.), directed owners and drivers of the impounded vehicles to appear before a mobile court convened by the Oyo State Rule of Law Enforcement Authority (OYRLEA) for prosecution.
Communication and Media Specialist, OYNTCDA, Abiodun Adefioye, in a statement yesterday stated that the Joint Task Force was established by the state government in October 2025 specifically to protect the strategic road corridor and preserve critical infrastructure installed along the route.
The task force comprises representatives from the Ministries of Public Works and Transport, Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Justice and Energy, as well as the Office of the Governor, Surveyor-General’s Office, OYRLEA, OYRTMA, Amotekun Corps and other relevant agencies, with OYNTCDA serving as its secretariat.
