The Lagos State Taskforce has vehemently refuted claims circulating on social media regarding the arrest and alleged extortion of a female driver for driving on the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lane at Anthony inward Ketu. In a press statement released today, the Taskforce clarified that its operatives were not involved in the incident captured in a viral video and labeled the narrative as “misleading.”

According to the statement signed by the Director of Public Affairs, Gbadeyan Abdulraheem, the Lagos State Taskforce emphasized that the individuals who apprehended the unidentified lady along the Anthony inward Ketu axis were “unknown policemen (not officials of the Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Unit).”

The Taskforce further stated that their records indicate no presence of their offices, garages, or car parks in the Ketu area.

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Crucially, they confirmed that no Taskforce team was deployed to monitor the BRT corridor at the time the incident occurred. The agency clarified that the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), which oversees the BRT system, has its own dedicated Monitoring and Enforcement Team responsible for ensuring compliance on BRT lanes.

Mr. Abdulraheem stressed that “any attempt to link the enforcement, arrest, and subsequent extortion of the lady to Lagos State Environmental Taskforce officials is completely baseless, untrue, and misleading.” The agency firmly distanced itself from the unfortunate ordeal faced by the driver and her mother.

To prevent future misidentification, the Lagos State Taskforce urged the general public to recognize that not all police officers wearing tactical jackets are affiliated with their unit. The statement highlighted that genuine Taskforce officials are identifiable by unique identification numbers.

The agency also encouraged individuals with legitimate grievances against any of their personnel to report them with evidence for thorough investigation and identification.

Reaffirming its commitment to upholding the law, the Lagos State Taskforce asserted that its enforcement activities are conducted with “professionalism, civility, decorum, and due process.” The agency assured the public that all arrests made by its officials are carried out humanely and are ultimately presented in court for proper adjudication.

The Lagos State Taskforce concluded by appealing to the public to avoid spreading false information about the agency and to consistently adhere to traffic regulations to prevent such regrettable incidents.