The Lagos State Government has stepped up its crackdown on public nuisance and street criminality following a midnight enforcement operation along the Lekki-Ajah Expressway.

The operation, conducted by operatives of the Lagos State Rapid Response Squad (RRS), targeted suspected hoodlums accused of harassing and intimidating motorists, extorting money from road users and, in some cases, damaging vehicles when their demands were rejected.

Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed the development in a post on his official X handle, accompanied by a video showing some of the arrested individuals.

Wahab said the operation targeted “miscreants and hoodlums who have been constituting a nuisance and posing a threat to motorists and other road users.”

According to the commissioner, the suspects allegedly engaged in acts capable of disrupting traffic and endangering motorists along the busy expressway.

The Lagos State Government, while reassuring residents of its commitment to public safety, said the RRS would continue its operations against individuals involved in criminal activities.

The agency stated that the “RRS will continue to sustain intelligence-led operations and enforcement actions against criminal elements whose activities threaten public safety and disrupt the free movement of people and vehicles across the State.”

The arrests, however, have sparked mixed reactions among members of the public. While some residents welcomed the enforcement operation, others questioned what would happen to those arrested after the raid.

Some expressed concern over the availability of rehabilitation facilities for the suspects, while others predicted that some of those arrested could eventually regain their freedom through political or other forms of influence.

The latest operation comes amid growing calls for stronger enforcement and more sustainable measures to address street crime, harassment and other forms of public nuisance across Lagos.