The Lagos State police command has intensified deployments to schools, worship centres and other crowded public spaces in a bid to stave off potential security breaches, the state’s commissioner of police, Olohundare Jimoh, said on Monday.
Speaking at the command headquarters in Ikeja, Jimoh insisted Lagos “remains safe and secure,” but said officers were ramping up visibility and patrols across the state throughout the busy end-of-year period and into 2025. “We have made additional deployments to all schools, places of worship, religious centres and other locations frequently visited by people to ensure all worshippers are safe,” he said. “We don’t have any concern to be worried about; we are beefing up security throughout the state.”
The move comes as parts of Nigeria grapple with a spate of violent incidents, including recent abductions in Kwara, Kebbi and Niger states. While Lagos has not witnessed such attacks, the commissioner said the command was expanding its tactical units across local councils to pre-empt any threats.
Jimoh also raised the alarm over a surge in vehicle thefts linked to newly hired drivers and car-wash attendants. Parading 10 recovered cars—including a Toyota Hilux, a Range Rover, a Lexus GX460 and a Land Cruiser — he said many thefts involved workers who had been on the job only a matter of days. “Drivers who were just employed took the vehicles away,” he said. “We equally have instances where vehicles taken to a car wash were driven away by the attendants.”
The commissioner urged residents to adopt stricter personal security measures, including refusing to hand over car keys to unfamiliar or newly engaged workers. “We should be more security conscious,” he said. “When we take our vehicle to a car wash, we don’t leave the key of the car with the attendant.”
Alongside the vehicles, police displayed a cache of seized weapons: four locally made pistols, a cut-to-size single-barrel shotgun, a locally fabricated firearm, cartridges, and a machete. Jimoh said the exhibits were recovered during intensified operations that also resulted in the arrest of 56 suspects.
One recent case involved a Lagos developer, Olakanmi Ogundele, who reported that a newly hired driver, Olufemi Jogbodo, disappeared with his Gelly saloon car barely four days into the job. The suspect had accompanied his employer on trips within Ogun and Lagos before fleeing with the vehicle during a meeting, Ogundele said.
Jimoh pledged that the command would sustain its crime-fighting efforts into the New Year, with heightened security around public institutions and high-traffic areas. “Our commitment is unwavering,” he said. “We will continue to ensure the safety of all Lagosians and visitors to the state.”
