Lagos Taskforce cracks down on syndicate impersonating its officers

‘We impound seven vehicles daily’ — suspects

By Evelyn Usman

LAGOS — The Lagos State Taskforce has dismantled a criminal syndicate that specialized in impersonating its officers to extort money from unsuspecting motorists.

Three suspects, identified as Olatunji Adebayo (42), Adewale Adeyemo (58), and Chinedu Justin (39), confessed that they impounded an average of seven vehicles daily as part of their fraudulent operations. They were apprehended in the Ojodu Berger area after a motorist alerted the real Taskforce.

In a statement signed by the Director of Press & Public Affairs, Gbadeyan Abdulraheem, the Chairman of the Agency, CSP Adetayo Akerele, said the syndicate had been under surveillance following multiple public complaints.

“I receive a lot of calls and complaints online from people saying that men from the Taskforce attempted to tow their vehicles if they don’t settle them. That is not how we operate here,” CSP Akerele said.
“Not everyone dressed in a black tactical jacket is from the Lagos State Taskforce. Some are from other security agencies and units, or impostors like these three.”

One of the suspects, Adebayo, explained their method: “Our targets are usually vehicles conveying goods improperly loaded. We arrest them and threaten them with impoundment before they part with a bountiful sum of money. We target private cars mostly, and on a good day we impound seven vehicles and charge them for driving against traffic (one-way) and insecure loading. Occasionally, we arrest inter-state commercial motorists too.”

Another suspect, Justin, recounted the moment of their capture: “The day we were caught, I noticed my colleagues attempted to run away after I had blocked the vehicle with my korope [bus]. I was confused. Before I knew it, I was already in the custody of men of Lagos State Taskforce.”

CSP Akerele assured the public that the suspects would face prosecution and urged citizens to remain vigilant.

“I urge members of the public to continue reporting any suspicious activities to the Agency through our feedback channels for prompt action. There is no room for criminality in the State,” he stated.

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