Lagos Police Command Disbands Imota Tactical Team, Detains Four Officers For Harassing Youth In Ikorodu

The Lagos State Police Command has disbanded its Imota Tactical Team and detained four officers attached to the unit for allegedly harassing a young man in the Odogunyan area of Ikorodu, in a move the Command said underscores its zero tolerance for impunity.

The Commissioner of Police, Tijani Fatai, ordered the detention of the officers at the Command headquarters in Ikeja, pending disciplinary proceedings, and directed that the entire tactical team be disbanded.

The Command's spokesperson, Abimbola Adebisi, announced the decisions during a parade of three of the four errant officers, in a video shared on X.

"We're here today to give you update on the recent trending video where we saw some individuals harassing a young man somewhere in Odogunyan area of Ikorodu," Adebisi said.

"Immediately we got the video, we investigated, and the men were identified to be personnel of the Lagos State Police Command, attached to Imota Tactical Team, there in Ikorodu."

She added: "They were summoned to the office of the commissioner of police yesterday. He gave the verdict that these officers be detained immediately, pending disciplinary proceedings, and also that the entire team be disbanded. As I speak to you, they are presently here at the headquarters for further enquiries."

Adebisi said the fourth officer was also in custody but could not be paraded "for some reasons."

She vowed that officers found acting contrary to the directives of the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, would face disciplinary action, and urged Lagosians to always report misconduct to the Command.

In a caption accompanying the video on X, the Command said: "No uniform is a licence to intimidate, harass, or violate the rights of any citizen. The uniform is a symbol of service, trust, and responsibility, and anyone who abuses that trust must be prepared to face the consequences.

"We understand the anger and concern such incidents generate, and we assure the public that no officer will be shielded from accountability if found culpable. The dignity of every citizen matters, and we remain committed to protecting the rights of the people we are sworn to serve."

Adebisi also commended the community for its proactiveness, saying residents assisted the police in identifying the officers. "Within a short period, we were able to pick them up and bring them down to the headquarters to face disciplinary actions," she said.

The incident occurred in Odogunyan, Ikorodu, and was captured in a viral video that circulated on social media earlier this week.

The footage allegedly showed personnel of the Imota Tactical Team harassing a young man.

Upon receiving the video, the Command said it launched an immediate investigation, identified the officers involved, and summoned them to the Commissioner's office.

The assault case comes just days after CP Fatai convened a general lecture for officers and men of the Lagos State Police Command at the POWA Hall, GRA, Ikeja, where he warned personnel against brutality, extortion, unlawful arrests and detention, stressing that supervisory officers would be held accountable for the conduct of personnel under their command.

During that lecture, held in compliance with a directive from IG Disu, Fatai specifically warned tactical teams against "extortion, brutality, intimidation, incivility towards members of the public and other dishonest practices."

Yet the Odogunyan assault is the latest in a long line of police brutality cases in Lagos and across Nigeria, despite repeated pledges of reform.

In March 2026, the Lagos Police Command dismissed four officers over the fatal shooting of traders at the Owode-Onirin market. Earlier that month, a policeman who fired the shot that killed a teenager in the Ijeshatedo area was dismissed and slated to face a murder trial.

Six years after the #EndSARS protests of October 2020, human rights groups say little has changed.

A Lagos judicial panel found that a massacre occurred at the Lekki Toll Gate and indicted the Nigerian Army for using excessive force, but the Federal Government has never fully acknowledged the incident.

Amnesty International had reported that no police or military officer was prosecuted for the torture and killings of protesters.