• Officials not authorised to take over motorist steering, says Akerele
The Lagos State Police Command has dismissed allegations that operatives of the Lagos State Task Force on Environmental and Special Offences Enforcement Unit, simply identified as Task Force, involved in extortion.
It, however, described a viral video circulating online as misleading.
The state’s Commissioner of Police (CP), Olohundare Jimoh, said that the task force had continued to play a crucial role in maintaining order in the state by enforcing traffic regulations and environmental laws.
It would be recalled that in a viral video posted by Objective Media, the task force officials were accused of unlawful arrest, as well as collecting money from offenders.
The commissioner, however, said that the video was intended to tarnish the reputation of the task force.
He said that a preliminary investigation conducted by the police found the claim to be false.
“The Lagos State Task Force on Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences Enforcement has been doing very well in ensuring sanity on our roads and in the environment.
“These organisations are responsible for ensuring orderliness in public places, preventing people from violating traffic rules and stopping the misuse of public spaces.
“I have directed a full-scale investigation into the allegation that task force personnel were collecting money, and we found out that it was not true. It is far from the truth and malicious in all ramifications.”
According to him, the video originated from an incident that occurred around 6:30 a.m. on March 13, 2026, during a routine operation against motorists driving against traffic in the Ikorodu area.
He said that police officers intercepted a driver identified as Lateef Adeyemo who was attempting to make an illegal turn against traffic regulations.
“In an attempt to evade arrest, the driver reversed his vehicle and rammed into an oncoming commercial minibus, thereby damaging the vehicle and endangering the lives of passengers and officers on duty,” the CP said.
Jimoh added that the suspect resisted arrest and allegedly incited bystanders, who started throwing stones and other objects at the enforcement officers.
“The viral video currently in circulation was recorded by the suspect himself while he was being taken away from the scene. He did not capture the full circumstances of the offence he committed,” he added.
The police chief further disclosed that the suspect was later arraigned before a mobile court in Oshodi on a four-count charge, including a conduct likely to cause a breach of peace, driving against traffic, obstruction of public officers and malicious damage to property.
He said the court granted the suspect bail but ordered his remand after he failed to meet the bail conditions.
Jimoh said that the police do not send suspects to correctional centre.
“Our responsibility is to arraign suspects in court. Once a matter gets to the court, it is the court that decides whether to grant bail or remand the suspect,” he said.
He, therefore, urged motorists and residents to obey traffic regulations and cooperate with law enforcement officers.
“We urge all road users to always obey traffic regulations and cooperate with law enforcement officers in the discharge of their duties,” he added.
Meanwhile, Chairman, Lagos State Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences Enforcement Unit, Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Adetayo Akerele, has said that there is no law mandating officials of the agency to take over the steering of motorists.
He, however, said that experiences, such as being driven to Army Barracks and others, necessitated the need for the officials to take over the steering of erring motorists and drive them to the station.
Akerele spoke during the quarterly media parley held at the Multi-Agency Safety Office at Bolade-Oshodi, Lagos, where he also addressed allegations of extortion by officials of the agency.
“There is no law that permits anyone to take over steering and drive another person’s vehicle but when you see the way a particular driver reacts when accosted, you will realise what the person is capable of doing. So, wisdom is applied.”
“I am aware of the issues raised bothering on the BRT corridor enforcement activities to the extent that most people are not able to differentiate the Lagos State task force from other agencies of the government who perform complementary roles in the administration.
“However, one thing we must bear in mind is that the rules governing the operation or use of the BRT were put in place in the interest of the public, which is what the corridor serves and not Akerele, not members of the task force, not any single agency of the government, but the larger Lagos.
“It is to ensure the safety and convenience of the generality of Lagos residents, as well as to ensure promptness. In fact, an acceptable level of both convenience and peace of mind is greatly being achieved in this respect. To that extent, our interventions there are to checkmate abuse and nuisance.”
Akerele, while reacting to the latest extortion against officials of the agency, said Objective TV Media reached out to him, ascribing to the task force an enforcement operation carried out by a sister agency and making a demand for the release of a vehicle seized for contravening traffic regulations.
He said that when it became clear that he was wrongly blaming the task force, he changed gear, resorting to blackmail.
“He insinuated that our men on duty hijacked a vehicle, drove it on one-way and turned around to accuse the driver of the offence. That of course is far from the truth. What makes this case quite unfortunate is that this particular individual has in the past tried to negatively exploit our relationship; he thought he could use the open door policy and receptive approach of the agency to public complaints through our combined complaints response unit to blackmail us by demanding the release of a vehicle duly arrested for contravening Lagos State traffic law.
“On this particular case, I want to state clearly that the driver in question actually contravened state traffic laws and he was lawfully arrested for the offences.
“No single individual is greater than an entire state and as a result, no single individual’s interest outweighs the interests of the generality of Lagos residents.
“What he is obviously doing is trying to use his Objective TV media to gain undue advantage, forgetting that as the chairman of the Lagos State Task Force, I also have a good knowledge of the media because I am also professionally trained in journalism. We also have other media practitioners working in the task force.
“We will continue to do our best to rid the state of all forms of environmental nuisance and we remain open to suggestions and genuine inputs from residents and positive-minded citizens of the state. We will also continue to refuse to let the selfish interests or demands of individuals distract or derail us from our fundamental duties and roles as the custodian of an environmentally friendly Lagos. To do otherwise is to denounce the confidence that the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sawo-Olu, on behalf of Lagos residents, reposed in us.”
In this article