The Lagos State Commissioner of Police has issued warnings to officers of the state’s environmental and special offences enforcement unit.
Commissioner of Police Olohundare Jimoh, speaking at a press briefing at the command headquarters in Ikeja on Saturday March 21, 2026, said he will not hesitate to dissolve the entire Lagos State Task Force and replace its personnel if any further verified case of human rights violation is established against its officers.
“We want the general public to know that we are not covering the task force. We have read the riot act to them yesterday that if I have a complaint of any wrongdoing again, and it is verifiable and investigated, I will not hesitate to dissolve the entire task force and bring in a new set of officers to join them,” he said.
The warning came in direct response to a viral video that sparked fresh public outrage over the conduct of task force operatives showing officers allegedly arresting lawyers over a land dispute, a matter widely regarded as civil rather than criminal in nature and therefore outside the task force’s lawful mandate.
The incident added to a growing pile of complaints against the unit including allegations of extortion, physical abuse and intimidation of residents.
Jimoh defended the task force in the specific viral incident that triggered the briefing. He insisted there was no evidence of abuse or dehumanisation in the arrest of a traffic offender for driving against traffic, explaining that the suspect was promptly taken before a mobile court where charges were read and bail granted. The individual was later remanded after failing to meet the bail conditions.
But the commissioner was equally clear that past disciplinary action was not just rhetoric. “If I can charge five police officers to court for the case in Owode Onirin, then who will I not discipline if there is wrongdoing?” he said, pointing to previous prosecutions of erring officers as evidence that the command means business.
Reforms are already underway within the unit. “As we speak, we have been posting new officers to the task force after thorough background checks, training, and reorientation,” Jimoh said, adding that the command plans to engage human rights organisations and civil society groups to strengthen accountability and professionalism. “We are going to engage human rights organisations and CSOs so that we can broaden their minds on human rights,” he stated.
The Task Force separately dismissed allegations that its operatives towed a vehicle in Ijesha and demanded N250,000 for its release, with spokesman Gbadeyan Abdulraheem describing the claim as false and malicious and saying the vehicle in question was never in the unit’s custody.
Jimoh urged Lagos residents to remain law abiding and to report any misconduct through official channels providing credible evidence that could support thorough investigations. He stressed that policing a city of between 20 and 25 million people demands strict law enforcement balanced with unwavering respect for citizens’ dignity and rights.
The warning lands at a moment of heightened public scrutiny of the task force, a unit that has long been accused by residents of operating as a revenue generating arm of government rather than a genuine law enforcement body.
