A Lagos-based TikToker claims she was harassed while documenting long queues and severe bus shortages at the Ikorodu BRT terminal, highlighting the daily struggles faced by thousands of commuters along one of the state’s busiest transport corridors.
“I got harassed on the queue because I spoke up,” the creator said in a video posted on Wednesday while recounting her experience at the terminal.
The creator, known on TikTok as darkskinnedella @ella_the_fashionistar, identifies herself as a videographer and video editor. Since relocating to Lagos between September and October 2025, she has been sharing videos of her daily commute to Lagos Island, documenting what she describes as the reality of getting to work through the BRT system.
The Lagos Bus Rapid Transit system is regulated by Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, which oversees policy, infrastructure and system regulation. However, daily operations are handled by private bus operating companies, most notably Primero Transport Services Limited.
In several clips posted on TikTok, she showed long lines of passengers waiting for buses at the Ikorodu terminal, claiming commuters often spend more than two hours before boarding.
Many residents rely on the BRT system because it runs on a dedicated lane, making it faster and often cheaper than commercial transport options.
In one video on Monday, she explained that her work resumes by 9 a.m., forcing her to wake up as early as 4 a.m. to prepare and leave home in time to reach the terminal between 5:30 a.m. and 6 a.m.
Despite arriving early, she said the queues remain long.
“Why people use BRT is because it has its own lane,” she said in one of the videos while filming commuters waiting in line. She added that even when she arrives early, she sometimes spends over two hours before boarding.
Her videos also show that the situation continues in the evening. After finishing work around 5 p.m., she said commuters still face long waiting times before getting buses back home.
The situation escalated on Tuesday when she posted footage of a confrontation with a woman who told her to stop recording in the BRT bus.
In the video, the TikToker insisted she would continue documenting the situation until buses were provided.
“If they provided buses for us, I will stop. If I come to this queue and spend more than five minutes, I will make videos,” she said.
The woman responded by telling her to arrive earlier.“Then come early,” the woman said.
The creator replied that she already wakes up extremely early to beat the queue.
“I should not sleep? I should come by 3 a.m.?” she asked, adding that she had left home by 6:30 a.m. and joined the queue around 7 a.m.
When the woman insisted that buses had already been loaded earlier, the TikToker questioned the adequacy of the supply.
“You have loaded three buses, so the remaining 1000 of us should stand for two hours?” she asked.
In another video posted on Wednesday, the confrontation appeared to escalate when a woman she later identified as a staff member attempted to stop her from recording.
“Don’t make any video today. If you make any video today, I will seize your phone,” the woman was heard saying.
The footage shows the official holding her bag and attempting to take her phone as they exchanged words.
“Why are you holding my bag? I will make my video. There is no bus, so I will make my video,” the TikToker responded.
During the exchange, the official was heard asking why her father had not provided buses.
“Tell your father to buy bus here?” the woman said.
“There is no bus. Is my daddy the governor of Lagos?” the TikToker replied.
In a separate clip recorded later inside a bus, the creator alleged that a man confronted and threatened her for posting the videos.
“This man threatened to deal with me,” she said, claiming he told her people had reported seeing him in the footage.
She also alleged that she later learned that several BRT buses had been chartered for an event, which she said contributed to the shortage that morning.
“I was shocked when I found out that almost all the BRT buses got chartered for an event. These people knew we would go to work the next day but they still let us stand for hours,” she said, adding that she eventually left the terminal after 9 a.m.
She further claimed that the woman who confronted her was part of the transport staff and warned that if anything happened to her, the man who allegedly threatened her should be held accountable.
When contacted for comments on the alleged bus shortage and harassment, LAMATA requested a formal email and a response is awaited.
Concerns over bus shortages along BRT routes are not new. Reports by PUNCH Metro, dating back to 2020, documented complaints from commuters who said they regularly endured long queues due to insufficient buses.
Many commuters said they relied on the BRT system because fares were lower than those charged by commercial buses, particularly as transport costs continue to rise across Lagos.
In 2023, the Lagos State Government also introduced a 25 per cent fare reduction across regulated bus and rail transport services following directives from Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to ease the burden on commuters.
Despite such measures, demand for the BRT system has remained high, with commuters saying the limited number of buses often leads to long queues at major terminals, particularly along the busy Ikorodu corridor.
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