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The order, which was relayed from the Control Room of the Lagos State Police Command in Ikeja on Saturday, August 30, 2025, emphasised that only the Lagos State Task Force has the authority to arrest or impound motorcycles.
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Olohundare Moshood Jimoh, has issued a fresh directive prohibiting officers at divisional and area command levels from arresting commercial motorcycle riders, popularly known as Okada riders.
The order, which was relayed from the Control Room of the Lagos State Police Command in Ikeja on Saturday, August 30, 2025, emphasised that only the Lagos State Task Force has the authority to arrest or impound motorcycles.
According to the directive, the standing order had been in place but is now to be enforced strictly.
“On no account, any team, either from our divisions or area commands, should be allowed to arrest any Okada. The responsibility has been given to only the task force alone,” the directive stated.
The Commissioner warned that any officer or commander who violates the instruction or permits subordinates to do so would face disciplinary action.
Area Commanders were further directed to pass the message down to their men and “warn them severely” against flouting the order.
“It is so clear, and it has been given earlier, but it has to be carried out accordingly now. On no account, once again, will divisions be arresting Okada; either arrest Okada or impound Okada. That responsibility has been given to only the task force alone,” the Commissioner stressed.
The police command maintained that strict compliance was expected across all divisions and area commands in the state.
On Saturday, the Epe Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) strongly condemned the killing of two commercial motorcyclists and the wounding of another in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State, by policemen attached to the Elemoro Police Station.
In a statement jointly signed by the Branch Chairman, Dr. S. O. Jimoh, and the Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Human Rights Committee, Ivo Takor, the lawyers described the incident as a “cold-blooded” attack on innocent citizens.
The NBA said the violence, which occurred at Onosa Junction, Ibeju-Lekki, on August 28, 2025, was unprovoked and unlawful. It demanded a thorough investigation and prosecution of all officers involved, stressing that accountability was the only way to deter future abuses.
On Friday, hundreds of angry residents, mostly youths, stormed the streets of Onosa in Lagos State’s Ibeju-Lekki area to protest the killing of a civilian by police operatives. The victim reportedly died on the spot, while two others are said to be in critical condition at a hospital.
SaharaReporters gathered that the shooting occurred late Thursday night.
By Friday morning, tensions had boiled over, with protesters blocking major roads across the community and grinding vehicular movement to a halt. Eyewitnesses said the demonstration erupted after news of the fatal shooting spread.
A video obtained by SaharaReporters showed a large crowd marching through the streets as police officers trailed behind, ostensibly to maintain order. In another clip, protesters were seen using tyres to barricade roads, while the victim’s body lay inside a car.
The incident adds to a disturbing pattern of police violence in Nigeria.
In 2020, widespread youth-led protests under the #EndSARS movement called for the disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a notorious unit accused of extrajudicial killings, torture, and extortion.
The protests, which drew international attention and support, led the government to announce the dissolution of SARS on October 11, 2020.
However, many Nigerians saw the move as largely symbolic. Reports of police brutality have continued, with organizations like Amnesty International documenting unlawful arrests, excessive use of force, and attacks on peaceful demonstrators.
Despite repeated promises of reform, the Nigerian police force has struggled to regain public trust.
WATCH: Lagos Police Ban Area, Divisional Commands From Arresting Motorcycle Riders, Say Crackdown Restricted To Task Force pic.twitter.com/UOz49NCGuA
— Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) August 31, 2025
Source: SaharaReporters.com | Read the Full Story…
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