REMOVE AND PROSECUTE CSP ADETAYO AKERELE — SCRAP THE LAGOS TASKFORCE NOW!
CP JIMOH MOSHOOD’S SUPPORT FOR AKERELE SHOWS THE REIGN OF ILLEGALITY AND ATROCITY IN THE LAGOS POLICE
The Youth Rights Campaign (YRC) calls for the immediate removal, arrest and criminal prosecution of Adetayo Akerele, the notorious chairman of the Lagos State Taskforce, whose tenure has come to symbolize systematic oppression, extortion, intimidation and victimization of motorists and ordinary Lagosians. We also call for the immediate removal of Jimoh Moshood as Commissioner of Police in Lagos.
For years, Akerele has turned the Lagos Taskforce into a criminal enterprise operating under the cover of state authority. Thousands of Lagos residents have fallen victim to a well-organized extortion racket orchestrated by Akerele and his gang of operatives. Motorists and Okada riders across Lagos have repeatedly reported the same pattern: vehicles are arbitrarily seized and forcefully driven into one-way roads by Taskforce agents, only for the drivers to be falsely accused of traffic violations. These fabricated accusations are then used to extort outrageous sums ranging between ₦100,000 and ₦200,000 from innocent citizens.
This criminal scheme has become a daily business venture for Akerele and his men. Today, Lateef Adeyemo, another victim of the Lagos Taskforce criminality is languishing in Prison over an alleged traffic offence, while his vehicle remains with the police force. The reason for this is his refusal to be criminally extorted by Akerele and his men.
Even more disturbing is the use of recruited street thugs who violently intercept motorists, seize their vehicles, and drive them to the Taskforce office in Bolade, Oshodi. When victims attempt to resist these illegal seizures, Taskforce officers suddenly appear to intimidate and suppress them, completing the extortion process under the guise of law enforcement.
The Lagos Taskforce under Akerele is therefore not a traffic management body but a machinery of organized harassment and economic exploitation against the people of Lagos.
The brutality of Akerele and his men was also exposed on October 20, 2023, during the 4th anniversary commemoration of the Lekki Toll Gate shooting at the Lekki Toll Gate, where members of the #EndBadGovernance gathered to remember victims of state violence.
On that day, Akerele personally led Taskforce operatives in a brutal assault on peaceful activists. Female protesters had hands violently inserted into their genitals, while a male activist had his testicles grabbed in an act of degrading torture before several activists were thrown into the Taskforce Black Maria and transported to Panti Police Station.
This barbaric violation of human dignity eventually led to a landmark judgement by Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, which awarded ₦10 million in damages against the perpetrators — a clear legal indictment of the lawless conduct of Akerele and the Taskforce.
Yet despite this damning judgement, Akerele continues to occupy public office and preside over a unit notorious for abuse of power and routine violation of citizens’ rights.
We also condemn the support given by the Lagos Commissioner of Police, Jimoh Moshood, to the criminal conducts of Akerele and the taskforce. This shows that the atrocity goes beyond Akerele and his men; CP Moshood is an enabler of this reign of criminality and atrocity that has defined the Nigeria Police Force in Lagos State. We, therefore, reiterate our call for the immediate removal of CP Jimoh Moshood.
The Youth Rights Campaign therefore demands:
- Immediate removal, arrest and criminal prosecution of CSP Adetayo Akerele for extortion, abuse of office, assault and violation of the constitutional rights of Lagos residents.
- Immediate release of Lateef Adeyemo and release of his vehicle.
- Immediate scrapping of the Lagos State Taskforce, a unit that has become a symbol of repression rather than public service.
- A full independent investigation of all officers who served under Akerele, with those found culpable facing prosecution.
- The release and compensation of all individuals unjustly jailed through the fabricated charges and corrupt practices of the Taskforce.
- Immediate release of vehicles illegally impounded from motorists who committed no offence.
Michael Adaramoye Lenin
National Coordinator
Francis Nwapa
National Secretary
Email: [email protected]