A forceful operation carried out by the Lagos State Environmental Taskforce on Friday in the Agege area led to the arrest of dozens of homeless individuals. The exercise, part of the state government’s environmental enforcement initiative, aimed to restore order in public spaces.
Video footage obtained by SaharaReporters shows some of the affected individuals were asleep when the taskforce arrived. In one particularly troubling scene, a police officer was seen dragging a man by his trousers and forcing him into a waiting Black Maria, treating him in a demeaning manner.
The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, confirmed the incident and disclosed that a total of 84 people were apprehended during the raid — 82 men and 2 women.
According to Wahab, the operation is part of the state’s broader efforts to clean up public areas and remove what he described as “undesirable elements” from the streets. He noted that those arrested would face legal action.
“The Lagos State Environmental Taskforce, on Friday, June 20, 2025, carried out a clean-up enforcement operation in the Agege axis,” Wahab said. “Targeted areas included the railway corridor at Ojurin, Isale Oja, Oke Koto, AP in Agege, and surrounding streets where suspicious individuals were observed.”
He concluded by confirming, “All the suspects will be charged to court in accordance with the law.”
