Lagos Taskforce dismisses alleged bribery report as false

The Lagos State Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences Enforcement Unit (Taskforce) has dismissed as false an online claim that its operatives extorted money during an operation in Ijesha.

In a statement on Thursday, Chairman CSP Tayo Akerele, through the Director of Public Affairs, Gbadeyan Abdulraheem, urged residents to ignore the report, describing it as baseless and misleading.

The allegation, circulated on social media by one Sherifdeen on a platform linked to Òjón Ọmọ Ékó, claimed officials impounded a vehicle and released it after collecting ₦250,000.

Reacting, the agency said: “The attention of the Lagos State Taskforce has once again been drawn to a misleading, malicious, and unsubstantiated report… The report falsely alleges that officials… collected the sum of ₦250,000 as a bribe before releasing it.

“Let it be stated clearly and unequivocally that this allegation is entirely false, defamatory, and devoid of any factual basis.”

The Taskforce maintained that no such operation occurred and that the vehicle was never in its custody.

“At no point did the Lagos State Taskforce tow any vehicle from the Ijesha axis… In fact, the owner… has admitted that the vehicle was not found in our custody but elsewhere.”

It added that available evidence pointed to another enforcement agency and warned against spreading unverified claims.

“It is therefore both reckless and unjustifiable to malign the Taskforce… This style of reporting… falls far below acceptable ethical standards of journalism.”

The agency also linked the allegation to ongoing pressure from critics over enforcement of the ban on commercial motorcycles on restricted routes.

“No amount of intimidation, blackmail, or orchestrated social media campaigns will compel the Agency to abandon its mandate.”

It urged the public to channel complaints through official platforms, assuring that proven misconduct would be addressed.

“We encourage any individual with genuine grievances to utilise the Agency’s ‘See Something, Say Something’ mechanism… Where any misconduct is established, appropriate disciplinary measures will be taken.”

Reaffirming its commitment, the Taskforce said it would continue enforcing transport laws without fear or favour and advised the public to disregard the allegations.