Ikeja, Lagos Island, and Lekki have been identified as the top three crime hotspots in Lagos State, according to new data from the Lagos State Criminal Information System (LCIS).

The disclosure was made by the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Lawal Pedro (SAN), during a ministerial press briefing in Alausa, Ikeja, marking the second anniversary of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s second term in office.

“From January 2024 to May 2025, Ikeja, Lagos Island, and Lekki recorded the highest rates of criminal activity in the state,” Pedro said, citing LCIS statistics.

He noted that the trend signals a growing threat to public safety in the state’s key urban and commercial centres.

The Attorney-General also revealed that Lagos has recorded 74,962 criminal cases and inmate profiles since 2018 — a figure that underscores the pressure on the state’s justice and correctional systems.

“As of May 2025, correctional centres in Lagos are running at 106 per cent above capacity, with 9,096 inmates in custody — far beyond what the infrastructure was designed to handle,” he said.

Pedro described the LCIS as a game-changer in criminal justice reform, offering a centralised digital database for all criminal cases, with biometric data, personal information, and offence records of suspects.

Rising Crime, Overflowing Prisons

Between January 2024 and May 2025 alone, over 10,000 suspects were processed through the LCIS, with 64 per cent of convictions secured via plea bargains.

The system also revealed a growing influx of suspects from Ogun and Oyo States, who now outnumber those from other parts of Nigeria.

On civil matters, the Directorate of Citizens’ Rights handled 6,601 petitions within the same period. Of these, 4,443 were successfully resolved, 1,882 remain pending, and 285 were referred to other relevant agencies.

Pedro noted that the Ministry recovered ₦7.3 million on behalf of petitioners — ₦3 million of which came through court-awarded compensation.

Children at Risk: Abuse and Rescue Operations

Addressing domestic and sexual abuse, Pedro said the Ministry handled 213 cases of child neglect, 272 cases of physical abuse, and 147 of child sexual abuse.

Fifty-seven children were rescued from abusive homes and placed in shelters, thanks to collaboration between the Ministry and the Ministry of Youth and Social Development.

As part of broader reforms, the Justice Ministry has launched a Public Advisory Centre to provide free legal assistance and information to Lagos residents.

Reaffirming the administration’s commitment, Pedro pledged continued investment in legal tech and innovation to boost public confidence and justice delivery in Lagos State.

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The Oyingbo overpass bridge plays a pivotal role in connecting Lagos Island and the Mainland, spanning from Murtala Mohammed Way in Ebute Metta and facilitating traffic flow into two distinct arterial roads – Iddo and Costain.

During the official inauguration of the T-shaped fly-over bridge on Sunday, which stretches over 7.7 meters, Governor Sanwo-Olu, joined by Governor Abiodun Oyebanji of Ekiti State, also expressed his confidence in the capabilities of the indigenous engineering solutions firm, stating, “They have not disappointed us.”

He further highlighted the positive impact of the project, saying, “Thousands and thousands of people were employed during this construction and knowledge transferred. I am delighted to note that job opportunities were created. Moreover, they have retained some of these employees even after the bridge’s completion.”

Sanwo-Olu emphasised that the Oyingbo Overpass Bridge is the second of four bridges constructed to ensure the safety of lives and uninterrupted vehicular traffic flow along the Red Line at level crossings. He assured that these overpass bridges would provide a lasting solution to the avoidable fatal accidents often occurring at railway crossings.

The governor further noted that the timing of the overpass bridge’s opening was critical due to the scheduled maintenance work on the Third Mainland Bridge, leading to the closure of Ebute Metta sections that serve as passageways for motorists heading to Lagos Island.

In her remarks, the Managing Director of Step Development Ltd, Engr. Adunola Oseni expressed her gratitude to the governor for entrusting the firm with the Oyingbo bypass bridge project, describing it as a significant milestone in Lagos state’s infrastructure development.

The Managing Director of Step Development Ltd, Engr. Adunola Oseni, addressing the audience on Sunday

Step Development Ltd attributed the success of the project to its commitment to promoting local content, utilising domestic technologies and materials, reducing the country’s reliance on expensive international imports, creating job opportunities, and enhancing self-sufficiency in the engineering industry. She added that the firm also provided valuable training opportunities for students and youth corps members.

Engr. Oseni stressed, “We are immensely honoured and privileged to have been awarded the Oyingbo Bridges project. This project is a significant milestone in the infrastructure development of this administration led by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. The successful execution of the Oyingbo bridge has not only promoted numerous local businesses but has also fostered the development of new technologies, local artisans, engineers, and other professionals.”

Acknowledging the crucial role of collaboration and support, Oseni expressed her gratitude to the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), the community, and other stakeholders, stating, “Your unwavering support and invaluable contributions have been instrumental in ensuring the successful execution of this project. We extend our gratitude to the traditional rulers of the Oyingbo community, chiefs, and other stakeholders for their invaluable contributions to the project’s success.”

She also commended the dedication and professionalism of Step Development Ltd’s staff, expressing her pride in their unwavering determination to overcome challenges and deliver on their promises.

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The Lagos state government has finally released the White Paper on the #EndSARS Panel of Inquiry report.

In the report, the state government says of the 32 recommendations by the panel, it has accepted 11, accepted 6 modifications, and rejects one.

The said document also says 14 of the recommendations fall outside the powers of the state, adding that it will be forwarded to the federal government for consideration.

However, details of what the recommendations are, are yet  clear

Meanwhile, a leaked version of the report had indicted the Nigerian Army and the Lagos state government in the killing of unarmed protesters and a subsequent cover-up of the incident at the Lekki Toll Gate on October 20, 2020.

But after the panel submitted its findings to Governor Sanwo-Olu, he, thereafter set up a four-member committee led by the Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN) to raise the White Paper on the reports submitted by the panel.

The governor, had earlier at a press briefing on Tuesday said the leakage was “regrettable”.

His words, “While I commend the panel for undertaking its task to the best of its abilities, it is however regrettable that the panel’s work and the leakage of an unauthorized version of the report have generated much tension. Sadly, a deep wound has been reopened.

However, Sanwo-Olu assured Lagosians that his administration remains committed to justice and truth.

He further announced that he had initiated a peace walk as part of efforts to ensure harmony in the state.

“To quicken recovery and engender a better understanding, I will lead ‘A Walk for Peace’ in December to herald the healing of the land.

“I have extended an open invitation to the youths, members of the diplomatic corps, civil society groups, students and the media, as well as other stakeholders to join me in this peace walk”.

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The minister who was responding to a question about the position of the government specifically regarding a leaked report by the Lagos judicial panel, described the panel as illegal.

“I will not answer this question as a sitting minister. I will answer this question as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and so, I am entitled to my own opinion. This is not the Federal Government’s position.

“For me, that panel was an illegal panel”, the human rights lawyer said while featuring on Channel’s Television Sunday Politics programme monitored by Mega Icon Magazine.

Keyamo’s remarks come days after the leaked report by the panel indicted the operatives of the Nigerian Army and Police, emphasizing that they indeed shot at unarmed protesters.

Although, the report has yet to be officially released, days later, the panel submitted its findings to the Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

One of the reports was on claims of police brutality while the other was on the shooting in the Lekki area of Lagos State on October 20, 2020.

Also, the Nigerian army had, however, denied shooting live rounds at protesters, telling the judicial panel that only blanks were used.

As part of efforts to further get to the root of the matter, Governor Sanwo-Olu on Monday, set up a four-member committee led by Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN) to raise a White Paper on the reports submitted by the judicial panel.

Keyamo’s comments come two days before the committee is expected to submit its recommendations to the National Economic Council (NEC) for discussion and possible implementation.

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Over 1,000 returning travellers from red-listed countries, including India, South Africa, Brazil, and Turkey, have absconded from isolation in Lagos State, according to the government.

The state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who raised the alarm on Monday while giving an update on the COVID-19 pandemic and how the government is working to curb the spread of the disease

revealed that a total of 1,073 inbound passengers out of 88,847 who arrived in Lagos via the Murtala Mohammed International Airport between May 8 and August 21 – have tested positive.

Sanwo-Olu noted that as of Saturday, the state has identified 5,998 of the returning travellers and successfully isolated 4,500 people who arrived from the red-listed countries, while 1,094 have absconded.

He explained that the COVID-19 protocols on mandatory isolation were put in place by the Presidential Steering Committee to protect Nigeria from an imminent third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking further, he lamented that Nigerians who disregard the protocols and abscond from isolation were directly putting the rest of the country at risk of unending waves of the pandemic.

As of Saturday, Lagos had recorded 70,563 cases, out of which 60,716 have recovered in-community and 4,387 are being managed actively in-community.

Over the course of managing the pandemic, about 5,551 patients have been admitted into various government facilities with 506 registered fatalities.

Governor Sanwo-Olu disclosed that of these deaths, 135 have happened in the current third wave of the pandemic.

He blamed the emergence of the third wave on non-adherence to the laid-down health protocols designed to mitigate the pandemic.

The governor counseled the residents that they have a huge responsibility of contributing to the fight against the virus.

He hinted that the state government has taken substantial steps to curb  the third wave in its tracks, especially with the increased monitoring and enforcement exercise by members of the Incident Command structure.

Sanwo-Olu, however warned against recalcitrance on the part of the residents which he said led to the higher infection rates that were recorded in the state.

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The Lagos State Judicial Panel on Restitution for Victims of SARS Related Abuses and other matters was on Friday given yet another extension of three months.

Chairman of the panel, Justice Doris Okuwobi, made this known while hearing petitions on Friday.

According to this development, the panel will now sit until October 19, a day before the October 20, 2020 shootings at the Lekki toll gate.

The Judicial panel was inaugurated by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State on October 27, 2020.

The panel was set up to last for a period of six-month in response to the government acceding to the five-for-five demands of the #EndSARS protesters with a mandate to look into abuses by security agencies and the now-disbanded SARS unit of the Nigeria police force and to make recommendations to the authorities for restitution to victims of abuses.

The initial six months sitting of the Lagos panel expired on April 27, 2021, and the panel was granted a three-month tenure extension which is supposed to expire on Monday, July 19.

As of June 29, the panel had sat for 97 days and only heard 126 petitions out of the 235 petitions it received.

Since the commencement of the hearing, 37 had been concluded while 109 petitions remained unheard necessitating the request for an extension of time.

At its Friday’s sitting, the panel heard eleven petitions. It reserved its decision in six petitions after counsel in the matters adopted their final written addresses.

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The Babajide Sanwo-Olu – led Lagos state government on Tuesday launched 300 first and last-mile buses, as well as 100 high-capacity buses to enhance the mode of transportation in the state.

Governor Sanwo-Olu noted that the buses will promote the state’s vision of an intermodal, integrated transport system, and enhance passengers’ connectivity to major routes in the state.

“Today, we launched 500 units of First and Last Mile (FLM) buses and 100 high and medium capacity buses for standard routes.

“The FLM buses will serve 286 identified routes within our communities as an alternative to addressing the menace and security threat constituted by Okada riders.

“FLM buses are safe and convenient as commuters will be able to use Cowry Travel Cards – an automated payment system already in use for BRT buses.

“We have delineated the FLM bus corridors into eight zones, comprising Ikeja and Ketu (Zone 1), Oshodi, Mushin, and Surulere (Zone 2), Berger, Yaba and Oyingbo (Zone 3) and Lagos Island, Ajah and Ibeju Lekki (Zone 4).

“Others are Iyana-ipaja and Agege (Zone 5), Mile 2, Iyana-Iba and Ajeromi (Zone 6), Ikorodu (Zone 7) and Epe and Badagry (Zone 8)”, he said.

The governor assured that the FLM buses will be increased to 5,000 in the coming days.

“We added the 100 brand new high and medium capacity buses into the fleet of Lagos Bus Service Limited (LBSL) to replace vehicles burnt at BRT stations during the wave of violence last October.

“The launch of the FLM Bus Scheme is an important milestone in our quest to achieving the intermodal transport system which gives our teeming population the choices they deserve, reducing congestion and journey times, and improving the quality of life.”

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Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has supported calls for the creation of state police, saying it is long overdue.

Speaking during on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics at the Lagos House, the governor said Nigeria should make state police happen.

“It is long overdue, we should make it happen.

“In fact, that is one of the critical things that I believe will help us. It has been said over and over again”, he said.

Sanwo-Olu noted that once the police outfit is domesticated,  it will  be easier for officers to effectively tackle crimes in the state since they are already used to their different host communities.

He explained that the Lagos state government has been supporting the Nigeria Police Force in the state with the purchase of vehicles, provision of fuel and allowances which should be done by the federal government.

“The last time, we gave them 1,250 constabularies and we are paying their salaries. We paid for everything – uniform, food, etc. So we are actually incurring those expenses already.

“It is really not going to have any bigger bolt on our numbers because that is what we are doing. But it will help us to know that there are state police. What we will do is that somebody grows up in an area, you will understand that area.

“You will know where Okokomaiko is, you will understand the issues around Ojoko, you will know what the problem is in Lagos Island once it is domesticated,” he added.

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The Lagos state government has said that residents of the state consume 1.8 million heads of cattle annually.

The state Commissioner for Agriculture, Abisola Olusanya, who disclosed this during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, also reiterated the commitment of the government in exploring the state’s waterways to expand the fishery opportunities.

She noted that the Japanese would export shrimps and later import the products to Nigeria.

While describing the situation as ridiculous, the commissioner lamented that a lot more needs to be done to harness the abundant water resources in the state.

The Commissioner said, “We have these abundant water bodies around us, what are we doing with it? These are areas where Lagos would like to concentrate on areas where we have the competitive and comparative advantage.

“We would like to expand on what we can do in the red meat sector. Lagos consumes well over 1.8 million heads of cattle on an annual basis. We consume over 6,000 heads of cattle on a daily basis.

“When you consider the transactional value for cattle alone for Lagos, it’s over ₦328 billion but we are producing nothing”, she added.

The commissioner emphasized that since Lagos is the largest market for meat, it would make sense for the state government to set up ranches.

Olusanya disclosed that the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu -led administration is working on the move, explaining that the government will be rolling out an Expression of Interest to investors.

When asked what the market value of agriculture in Lagos is, the commissioner replied “Over ₦ 5 trillion,” noting that it translates to over ₦13 billion daily”.

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Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brigadier-General Buba Marwa has called for integrity drug tests for students and politicians, especially those contesting for public offices in the country.

The  NDLEA Chief made the call on Wednesday at a meeting with the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, in Marina.

“Running for public offices is a big responsibility. You should not be in this important assignment for the public and your head is filled up because of drugs,” Marwa was quoted as saying in a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Gboyega Akosile.

The former military governor of Lagos state added that “drug scourge is now an epidemic in Nigeria. The prevalence is 15 per cent; three times the global average. One in seven Nigerians takes drugs. We have found out that there is nexus between drug use and crime.”

He lauded the efforts of the  state government on the issue of drug abuse, describing Lagos as the first state in Nigeria in some innovative ways.

Marwa, then asked the government to lead the way with the integrity drug test for students in the state.

He noted that the youths are affected most when it comes to drug abuse, making it necessary for students, especially those in tertiary institutions to take the integrity tests.

Governor Sanwo-Olu , in his remarks assured the NDLEA boss  that the government would continue to collaborate with the agency to address the scourge of drug crisis in the country.

Sanwo-Olu , explained that his administration has put in place some measures, among which was building a full-fledged mental health rehabilitation hospital to tackle drug crisis in Lagos.

“Indeed, we know that drug abuse is prevalent in our society in all forms and shapes. For us as a government, it is not something we are sweeping under the carpet; we are not denying that it is there.

“Part of the things we are doing to tackle it is to ensure that we have functional and working rehabilitation centres and we are equipping them to identify real caregivers that will take victims through the rehabilitation process.

“Beyond that, we are actually building a full-fledged mental health rehabilitation hospital at Ketu-Ejinrin in Lagos East Senatorial District.

“This, we believe, will not only have almost 500 beds but will also have a required expertise, medical and all of the complements to ensure that different categories of treatments required are available”, the governor assured.

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