By Enioluwa Adeniyi

Certain road fittings from the newly inaugurated Second Niger Bridge have been stolen by vandals.

An inside source from the works ministry that spoke with Punch confirmed the theft on Wednesday, specifying that the expansion joint walkway from axis 330 of the bridge was the missing item.

The source said, “Regrettably, it’s accurate.

“The stolen fitting is a part of the bridge’s expansion joints. This could potentially cause discomfort to drivers, so those travelling on the road should take caution.”

A second insider affirmed the report and mentioned the supervising engineers’ displeasure with the event.

It should be remembered that on May 23, former President Muhammadu Buhari commissioned the N336 billion bridge, along with seven other infrastructural projects, via an online platform, Zoom.

The then Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola announced the bridge’s completion at an October 2022 briefing, putting an end to nearly five decades of unfulfilled promises by preceding governments.

In a move to alleviate traffic in the South-East during the festive season, the Federal Government opened the Second Niger Bridge for use on December 15, 2022.

The Second Niger Bridge, proposed during the 1978/79 political campaign by then-candidate Shehu Shagari of the National Party of Nigeria, is similar to the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos.

This 1.6-kilometre-long bridge, linking Anambra and Delta states, aims to alleviate traffic on the existing Niger Bridge, spur economic activity, and connect the South-East with the rest of the country.