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Lagos State Taskforce has stepped up enforcement operations across the metropolis, targeting street urchins popularly referred to as Omotaku, who are accused of loitering around major roads and traffic corridors to harass and extort motorists, particularly during vehicle breakdowns.
The agency disclosed that no fewer than 281 suspected Omotaku members were arrested within the past week during coordinated clean-up exercises across key locations in the state.
Some of those apprehended, however, denied engaging in criminal activities, claiming they were merely trying to survive due to the absence of stable means of livelihood.
During interrogation, it also emerged that several of the suspects reside under bridges in different parts of Lagos.
One of the suspects, who identified himself as Hassan and spoke in Yoruba, said he had been living under the Costain Bridge since relocating to Lagos three years ago.
“I was arrested when a vehicle broke down and I approached the driver to ask for money so I could help him get a mechanic. We were still discussing when the Taskforce officers arrived,” he said.
Speaking on the operation, the Chairman of the Lagos State Taskforce, Chief Superintendent of Police Adetayo Akerele, said the sustained clampdown was aimed at flushing out criminal elements and restoring order on major roads and highways across the state.
He said the agency had decided to confront the menace head-on to ensure a safer and more orderly Lagos.
Akerele, in a statement signed by the Director of Public Affairs of the Taskforce, Gbadeyan Abdulraheem, disclosed that from Thursday last week through Wednesday, January 14, 2026, operatives carried out coordinated raids across several locations.
He said the exercise covered areas such as Bourdillon, Lekki Phase 1, Ikoyi, Lekki-Ajah Expressway, Animashahun Bus Stop, Akowonjo Road, Egbeda, Fadeyi Bus Stop, Costain, Funsho Williams Avenue, Victoria Island, Apongbon, Jibowu, Yaba, Palmgrove, Ojuelegba, Surulere, Lagos Island and other adjoining roads on both the Island and Mainland.
According to him, the arrests were made in locations where the suspects had consistently constituted a nuisance and security threat to motorists.
Akerele added that all 281 suspects have since been charged to court, expressing confidence that the persistent enforcement drive would soon put an end to the activities of Omotaku in Lagos.
He urged residents, especially motorists, to promptly report the activities of street urchins and other criminal elements to the Taskforce for swift intervention, providing the agency’s emergency lines as 09137555111 and 09138555111.
The Taskforce chairman also warned individuals involved in criminal acts to desist, stressing that crime is not a legitimate means of livelihood, while reaffirming the agency’s resolve to sustain enforcement until Lagos roads are free of hoodlums and other undesirable elements.
Lagos Taskforce arrests 281 street urchins in statewide clean-up operation
