Lekki–Epe Expressway
Lekki-Epe Expressway Sandfill Bustop.jpg
Route information
Length49.5 km (30.8 mi)
HistoryCompleted 2011
Major junctions
West endLekki
East endEpe
Location
CountryNigeria
StatesLekki, Lagos
Major citiesLekki, Epe, Lagos
Highway system

The Lekki–Epe Expressway is a 49.5-kilometre (30.8 mi) expressway connecting the Lekki and Epe districts in Lagos State.[1][2] The Lekki-Epe expressway was first built in the 1980s. It was built during the Lateef Jakande's administration.[3] It is the second private toll project in Africa.[4] The road construction project was financed by the African Development Bank. The bank provided a loan of up to US$85 million to help fund the upgrade and rehabilitation of the Lekki to Epe expressway in 2008, and it was based on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) under the Design, Build, Operate (DBOT), and Transfer and Rehabilitate, Operate (ROT) framework/business model.[5]

The Lekki Concession Company manages the toll road. [6]

2020 Massacre

On the night of 20 October 2020, at about 6:50 p.m., members of the Nigerian Army opened fire on unarmed End SARS protesters at the Lekki toll gate. Amnesty International stated that at least 12 protesters were killed during the shooting.[7] A day after the incident, on 21 October, the governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, after initially denying reports of any loss of lives, admitted in an interview with a CNN journalist that "only two persons were killed".[8] The Nigerian Army initially denied involvement in the shooting. Still, it later stated that it had deployed soldiers to the toll gate on the orders of the governor of Lagos State. A month after the shooting, following a CNN documentary, the Nigerian Army admitted to the Lagos Judiciary panel of inquiry into the shooting that it had deployed its personnel to the toll gate with live and blank bullets.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "The Lekki-Epe expressway". Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  2. ↑ "Lekki/Epe road concession-matters arising". 2 July 2009.
  3. ↑ "The Lekki-Epe expressway". BusinessDay. 18 February 2019. Retrieved Feb 18, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Lekki Toll Road Project - A Gateway to Nigeria's Economic Transformation". 2 May 2013.
  5. ↑ "Nigeria: AfDB Approves US$ 85 Million for Lekki Toll Road Project". 4 March 2019.
  6. ↑ Odunsi, Wale (2021-08-10). "Lagos assumes full ownership of Lekki Concession Company, Toll Gate". Daily Post Nigeria. Retrieved 2023-09-29.
  7. ↑ "Killing of #EndSARS protest by the military must be investigatedAn on-the-ground investigation by Amnesty International has confirmed that the Nigerian army and police killed at least 12 peaceful protesters yesterday at two locations in Lagos. The killings took place in Lekki and Alausa, where thousands were protesting police brutality as part of the #EndSars movement". 21 October 2020.
  8. ↑ "Sanwo-Olu: There is no international pressure - CNN Video".
  9. ↑ "Nigerian army admits to having live rounds at Lekki Toll Gate, despite previous denials".
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