Cotonou activates its new municipal impound to tackle urban disorder
Since September 2025, the municipality of Cotonou has launched a major reform aimed at improving traffic and public spaces: the official opening of a municipal impound for offending vehicles.
Le maire de Cotonou , Luc Atrokpo
This decision, announced in a statement by Mayor Luc Sètondji Atrokpo, signals a firm determination to reduce chaotic parking and the illegal occupation of roadways.
Under the new system, the Republican Police and the municipal technical services have the authority to carry out the immediate removal of any vehicle in violation. This applies to: motorcycles, cars, tricycles, trucks, buses, as well as agricultural or construction vehicles.
Seized vehicles are now redirected to two designated impound lots :
- Dandji (1st district, former Abattoir)
- Agbondjèdo (8th district)
The return of a vehicle is conditional on payment of fines, towing and storage fees. Recovery operations are held exclusively on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Owners whose vehicles are still being held at police stations are asked to begin the required procedures without delay. If no identifiable or solvent owner is found, the municipal decree provides for the vehicle to be sold at auction.
Against this backdrop, city hall reminds that urban order, safety and public cleanliness are not decreed: they are built collectively. Luc Sètondji Atrokpo therefore calls on road users to actively cooperate, which is essential to ensure the effectiveness of this structural reform and the quality of life in the economic capital.