Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Lagos State Government has intensified its crackdown on street urchins and hoodlums accused of harassing, intimidating and extorting motorists along the Lekki-Ajah Expressway, with operatives of the Rapid Response Squad carrying out a midnight enforcement operation targeting criminal elements who have turned one of the state's busiest corridors into a nightmare for commuters. The operation, which took place on the night of Saturday, August 8, 2026, resulted in the arrest of several suspected miscreants who have been allegedly involved in a range of offences, including extorting money from motorists, vandalising vehicles when their demands are rejected, and deliberately creating artificial traffic bottlenecks to trap unsuspecting drivers.
The state Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed the operation in a post on X on Sunday, August 9, 2026, saying the enforcement action was part of the government's sustained intelligence-led operations against individuals whose activities threaten public safety and disrupt the free movement of people and vehicles across the state. "The Lagos State Rapid Response Squad conducted a midnight enforcement operation along the Lekki–Ajah Expressway to apprehend miscreants and hoodlums who have been constituting a nuisance and posing a threat to motorists and other road users," Wahab said. He added that the RRS would continue to sustain enforcement actions against criminal elements whose activities threaten public safety and disrupt movement across the state.
The Lekki-Ajah corridor has long been a hotspot for criminal activity. Despite repeated government crackdowns and arrests, hoodlums known locally as "area boys" have continued to terrorise motorists along the Lekki-Epe Expressway, one of Lagos State's busiest road corridors. The highway stretches from Lekki through Ajah and Sangotedo to Epe, linking sprawling residential estates, commercial centres and emerging industrial hubs. But beneath the glittering skyline of luxury estates and shopping malls lies a growing menace that has turned daily commuting into an ordeal for many motorists. Residents have raised the alarm over the activities of hoodlums who extort motorists and attack vehicles with stones, sticks and other objects whenever drivers refuse to part with money.
The hotspots are concentrated around Marwa Bus Stop, Victoria Garden City, Ikota, Ilaje, Abraham Adesanya and Freedom Way, all located along the Lekki-Epe corridor. The hoodlums target motorists, particularly during morning and evening rush hours when traffic builds up and vehicles are trapped for long periods. To ensure motorists have little choice but to comply, some of the hoodlums deliberately create artificial traffic bottlenecks by rolling discarded tyres onto the road, forcing vehicles to slow down or stop completely. Drivers who refuse to pay often have their vehicles attacked with heavy stones, sticks or even machetes, leaving many with damaged windscreens, dented body panels and shattered side mirrors.
Wahab acknowledged the government's responsibility to maintain security and order but also pointed to a troubling factor that has complicated enforcement efforts: the continued financial support and patronage that some influencers, celebrities and members of the public extend to street urchins. "The continued financial support and patronage they receive from some influencers, celebrities, and members of the public, as seen in this video, inadvertently encourage them to return to the streets and, in some cases, view it as a lucrative means of livelihood, while also breeding a sense of entitlement," Wahab said. He urged residents to avoid actions that could encourage street begging and lawlessness.
The midnight raid on the Lekki-Ajah Expressway follows a series of enforcement actions taken by the Lagos State Government to address the menace of street urchins and hoodlums across the state. In January 2026, the Lagos State Taskforce arrested 281 street urchins, popularly known as "Omotaku," in a week-long operation targeting major highways along the Lekki, Ikoyi and Ojuelegba axis. In April 2026, the Taskforce arrested 50 suspected hoodlums during a statewide enforcement operation to ensure compliance with the monthly environmental sanitation exercise. The state government has also previously arrested three suspected street urchins accused of harassing motorists across the state.
The latest arrest operation also comes as the state prepares for heightened security measures ahead of the August 15 Osun State governorship election. The Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, announced on Friday, August 7, that four officers would be deployed to each of the 3,673 polling units in Osun State, amounting to at least 14,692 police officers. While the Lekki-Ajah operation is unrelated to the Osun election, it reflects a broader push by security agencies across the South-West to crack down on criminal elements and restore order on the region's roads.
For the thousands of motorists who traverse the Lekki-Ajah Expressway daily, the midnight raid offers a glimmer of hope that the nightmare of extortion and harassment may finally be coming to an end. But as Wahab himself acknowledged, the government cannot do it alone. "We therefore urge everyone to desist from activities that may inadvertently encourage lawlessness, insecurity, street begging, and environmental nuisance on our roads," he said. The RRS has pledged to sustain intelligence-led operations against criminal elements whose activities threaten public safety, and residents are hopeful that this latest crackdown will mark a turning point in the battle for control of Lagos's roads. For now, the message from the Lagos State Government is clear: the era of impunity on the Lekki-Ajah Expressway is over.
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