Lagos to arraign 62 arrested in Island midnight raid Friday

Operatives of the Lagos State Environmental Taskforce, on Friday, stormed several parts of Lagos Island in a midnight raid, arresting 62 suspects—59 males and 3 females.

The Lagos State Government said this is part of a renewed effort to rid the city of criminal elements and reclaim public spaces.

The enforcement operation, which began at exactly 1.30am, targeted high-activity zones including Victoria Island, Falomo, Eko Hotel axis, Osborne, and adjoining streets, where the presence of “undesirable elements” had reportedly been on the rise.

Announcing the raid via his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle, the Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, described the crackdown as a vital step in restoring order.

He wrote, “In continuation of the agency’s clean-up enforcement operation to rid the State of criminal elements, operatives of the Environmental Taskforce team set out at about 0130hrs on Friday, 23rd May 2025 and embarked on its ongoing clean-up enforcement operation on the Island.”

He added that the operation covered multiple hotspot locations where authorities had observed disruptive behaviour.

“The areas visited during the operation include Victoria Island, Falomo, Eko Hotel, Osborne and other adjoining streets where the presence of some undesirable elements was noticed.”

During the raid exercise, a total number of 62 suspects were arrested which comprises 59 males and 3 females. Sanity was restored in all the areas,” he continued.

Wahab confirmed that the suspects would be prosecuted.

“All the suspects will be charged to court accordingly,” he stated.