Three suspects were arrested by the Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Task Force on Thursday for allegedly attacking and extorting stranded motorists in Palmgrove and Oniru. The arrests occurred after operatives responded to reports of hoodlums targeting drivers with broken-down vehicles, a practice locally referred to as "omotaku." Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, confirmed the incident in a post on X, stating the suspects were apprehended at separate locations and would be charged to court.
A video shared by Wahab showed one victim recounting how a mechanic was already repairing his vehicle at Palmgrove Bus Stop, with assistance from Lagos Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) officials, when a suspect approached and demanded money. The driver said the man claimed to be agitated and insisted on payment despite offering no help. The suspect, who identified himself as a carpenter returning from Ojuelegba, claimed he only asked if the driver needed a mechanic. Witnesses and the victim disputed this, saying a mechanic was already on site.
In Oniru, another motorist reported that two suspects demanded "owo ile" after his vehicle broke down while returning from Redemption Camp. He refused to pay, and the suspects fled when task force officials arrived. The latest arrests follow similar incidents at Marwa Bus Stop in Lekki, where suspects were detained for demanding money and a phone from a trucker.
The repeated arrests of suspected extortionists in multiple locations suggest that "omotaku" is not isolated but a recurring tactic in Lagos traffic chaos. Tokunbo Wahab's social media updates do little to explain why such brazen attacks keep happening in broad daylight. If task force patrols are reactive rather than preventive, stranded drivers will keep becoming easy targets. This pattern exposes a deeper failure in securing major routes where help should come from officials, not predators.
