LAGOS, Nigeria: Commuters along the Iyana-Ipaja/Iyana-Iba axis of Lagos were left stranded on Monday, September 14, 2026, after commercial bus drivers withdrew their services in protest against what they described as persistent extortion by officials.
The strike affected one of the busy transportation corridors linking communities across the Lagos mainland, leaving passengers struggling to find alternative means of transportation.
The drivers alleged that they were being subjected to daily demands for money by officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), the Nigeria Police Force, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).
According to reports, the drivers said the alleged financial demands had become increasingly frequent and unbearable, prompting them to suspend operations as a way of drawing the attention of authorities to their grievances.
The operators also alleged that LASTMA officials regularly impound their vehicles over traffic-related infractions, with some vehicles reportedly kept for an entire day.
The drivers said such impoundments have a direct financial impact because they lose a full day’s income when their buses are taken off the road.
The withdrawal of buses immediately affected commuters along the Iyana-Ipaja to Iyana-Iba corridor, with passengers reportedly stranded at various points as they searched for alternative transportation.
The latest protest is not the first time commercial bus operators in Lagos have raised similar allegations. A comparable protest occurred in November 2023, when drivers in several parts of Lagos stopped operations over alleged extortion and arbitrary arrests linked to transport enforcement.
However, the allegations surrounding Monday’s protest have not been independently established, and the agencies named by the drivers had not issued a public response to the latest stoppage in the reports reviewed.
The strike has once again drawn attention to the challenges facing commercial transport operators and commuters in Lagos, where buses remain a major means of transportation for millions of residents.
Commuters will be hoping for a quick resolution between the drivers and relevant authorities to restore normal transport services along the affected routes.
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