Lagos Taskforce Pushes Back on Extortion Claims Amid Okada Crackdown

The Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Unit has gone on the offensive, flatly rejecting allegations that its officers are extorting commercial motorcycle riders during ongoing enforcement operations. In a sharply worded statement, the Taskforce dismissed the claims as “misleading and unsubstantiated narratives,” insisting that its campaign targets lawlessness—not livelihoods.

The rebuttal comes as Lagos intensifies its crackdown on okadas operating in restricted zones of the sprawling megacity. Social media has been flooded with videos allegedly showing officers demanding bribes to release impounded motorcycles—images that strike a familiar chord with Nairobians accustomed to the cat-and-mouse between boda boda riders and city enforcement teams.

Enforcement or Harassment?

Taskforce Chairman Gbadeyan Abdulraheem defended the operations as necessary for public safety and traffic order. “Our goal is to restore sanity to our roads, not to fill our pockets,” he said, adding that the agency has zero tolerance for misconduct.

• The Process: The Taskforce outlined a formal enforcement protocol and urged the public to report any rogue officers through official complaint channels, promising investigations where credible evidence exists.

• The Reality on the Ground: For riders, the distinction between enforcement and harassment feels academic. The ban on okadas in key corridors—meant to ease congestion and reduce accidents—has squeezed incomes and stranded commuters in a city already synonymous with gridlock.

As Lagos wrestles with mobility, safety, and trust in law enforcement, the standoff exposes a deeper fault line: how to impose order without deepening public resentment. For now, the videos continue to circulate, the denials continue to harden, and thousands of riders remain caught between policy and survival.