The Lagos State Taskforce has apprehended 32 street urchins, popularly known as Omotaku, during a coordinated enforcement operation aimed at curbing public nuisance and improving safety on major highways across the state.
The exercise, carried out on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, spanned key locations on both the Island and Mainland, following repeated complaints from residents through social media platforms and radio programmes over the activities of miscreants obstructing traffic and endangering lives.
Areas covered during the operation included Apongbon, Fadeyi, Jibowu, Yaba Phase 1, Lagos Island, Palmgrove, Ojuelegba and Surulere, among other adjoining roads. Taskforce officials reported that the suspects were illegally stopping articulated vehicles such as petroleum tankers, trucks, trailers and private cars, thereby creating serious traffic and safety hazards.
During the raid, 32 suspects were arrested for constituting public nuisance, obstructing roadways and violating provisions of the Transport Sector Reform Law of 2018 and the Environmental Management and Protection Law of 2017. Some of the suspects were also found in possession of substances suspected to be hard drugs and Indian hemp.
Speaking after the operation, the Chairman of the Lagos State Taskforce, CSP Adetayo Akerele, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to safeguarding lives and property across the state. He stressed that the Taskforce would continue to comb all parts of Lagos to rid the roads of criminal elements and restore order.
According to him, the operation led to the restoration of sanity in all the areas visited.
All the suspects have been charged to court for prosecution.
