The Lagos State Task Force has launched a new anti-crime patrol unit aimed at tackling criminal activities and environmental violations across the state.
The development follows a directive by the Commissioner of Police, Tijani Fatai, banning the agency from enforcing traffic violations in Lagos State.
According to the agency, the round-the-clock patrol unit is a strategic initiative designed to detect, deter and neutralise criminal intent before it escalates into threats to public safety.
Chairman of the Lagos State Task Force, CSP Adetayo Akerele, said the establishment of the unit was necessary to remove criminal elements posing security risks to residents and visitors in the state.
He explained that the unit would operate as a standby rapid-response team mandated to arrest and ensure the prosecution of offenders involved in activities such as drug peddling, street urchinism, activities of area boys commonly known as Omotaku, raids on criminal black spots, environmental offences such as littering, attacks on government officials on lawful duty, quackery, one-chance robbery syndicates, and other related offences.
Akerele reiterated the agency’s commitment to eradicating criminality in Lagos, adding that surveillance, patrols, and enforcement operations would be intensified across identified flashpoints in the state.
“We will spare no effort to eliminate criminal activities in the state this year. We will compel criminals to desist from their acts or relocate from Lagos,” he said.
The agency also urged residents to support security operations by providing timely and credible information to assist ongoing efforts to maintain safety and order across the state.
