Police debunk viral video alleging extortion by Lagos Task Force

…… Say the suspect drove against traffic and rammed the minibus.

By Efe Onodjae & Beulah Odijie

The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, Moshood Jimoh, has dismissed allegations circulating on social media claiming that operatives of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences Task Force were collecting money from motorists.

Addressing journalists during an interactive session with the media at the command headquarters on Monday, the CP described the viral video as misleading and malicious, insisting that it was aimed at tarnishing the image of the task force, which, according to him, has been working to maintain order across the state.

CP Jimoh said the Lagos State Task Force on Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences plays a critical role in ensuring orderliness on the roads, protecting public spaces and enforcing environmental regulations in the state.

The Lagos police boss noted that Lagos, with an estimated population of between 23 and 25 million residents, requires strict enforcement of traffic and environmental laws to maintain sanity and prevent chaos.

According to him, the controversy stemmed from an incident that occurred on Friday, March 13, 2026, at about 6:30 a.m., during a routine enforcement operation against motorists driving against traffic. no

He explained that officers of the Safer Highway Patrol intercepted a driver identified as Lateef Adeyemo, who attempted to make a wrongful turn against traffic in violation of Lagos State traffic regulations.

“In an attempt to evade arrest, the driver reversed his vehicle and rammed into an oncoming commercial minibus, damaging the vehicle and endangering the lives of passengers as well as law enforcement officers at the scene,” the CP said.

The driver and his vehicle were subsequently handed over to officers of the Lagos State Task Force for further investigation and prosecution, while the damaged minibus was towed to the task force office in Oshodi.

CP Jimoh further disclosed that the suspect resisted arrest and obstructed traffic, causing a gridlock in the area and disrupting normal commercial activities.

He added that task force operatives applied minimal force to remove the suspect from the road in order to restore normal traffic flow.

Preliminary investigations, he said, also revealed that the suspect attempted to incite bystanders against the officers, which resulted in stones and other objects being thrown at security personnel.

According to the CP, the viral video circulating online was recorded by the suspect while he was being transported from the scene and did not capture the events that led to his arrest.

“The video deliberately obscured the facts of the incident and portrayed the officers in a bad light,” he said.

He further disclosed that the suspect was arraigned before a mobile court sitting in Oshodi on four counts, including conduct likely to cause breach of peace, driving against traffic, obstruction of public officers in the discharge of their duties and malicious damage to property.

The court, he said, granted the suspect bail but remanded him in prison custody after he failed to meet the bail conditions.

The commissioner clarified that the police did not send the suspect to prison, explaining that such decisions are made solely by the court after suspects are charged.

While urging motorists to obey traffic rules, the CP appealed to members of the public and the media to verify information before publication and support efforts aimed at maintaining law and order in the state.

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