The Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Agency (LNSA) has arraigned more than 100 suspected hoodlums before the Lagos State Special Offences Mobile Court in Bolade, Oshodi, following an overnight operation that swept through Victoria Island, Lekki-Ajah and the Coastal Road. The operation, which ran between 2 am and 4 am on Friday, September 4, led to the arrest of over 130 people.
Operation Led by LNSA General Manager
The LNSA General Manager, Dr Ifalade Oyekan, personally led the early morning sweep, which targeted areas the agency described as hotspots for activities capable of disrupting public order. The operation was part of the agency's ongoing enforcement against what it calls illegal occupation of public spaces and disorderly conduct in high-traffic areas.
Those arrested face charges bordering on breach of public peace, conduct likely to cause a breakdown of law and order, and the unlawful conversion of government property for personal use. The defendants were prosecuted by Oluwabusola Omotunde on behalf of the Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice.
Court Proceedings and Pleas
Some of the arraigned defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges, meaning their cases will proceed to full hearing rather than immediate sentencing. The court will determine the outcome based on evidence and arguments presented in subsequent proceedings. The charges against them remain allegations at this stage, according to the report.
Victoria Island, Lekki and Ajah are among Lagos' most commercially active corridors, with significant nightlife, street trade and residential activity that keeps these areas busy well into the early hours of the morning. The LNSA has increasingly used early morning operations to address what it describes as illegal occupation of public spaces and disorderly conduct in these high-traffic zones.
Previous Enforcement Actions
The 'unlawful conversion of government property' charge is one the agency has used in previous enforcement actions against individuals found occupying road medians, sidewalks and other public infrastructure for personal commercial activity. This mass arraignment is not the first of its kind this year.
In January 2026, a Lagos magistrate court sentenced 26 members of a street group to three months in prison following a similar enforcement sweep, while 115 street beggars were arrested in the same operation. Lagos has recorded a little over 35,000 criminal cases across its courts in the past three years, with the Lekki-Ajah and Lagos Island corridor consistently emerging as one of the state's busiest enforcement zones.
The Lagos State Government has maintained a policy of zero tolerance for activities it says threaten public safety and the orderly use of public spaces, with enforcement sweeps continuing across multiple parts of the state on a rolling basis. No timeline has been given for when the cases of those arraigned will return to court for hearing.
