The Lagos State Police Command has defended its stop-and-search operations, saying the measures remain critical for crime prevention despite complaints of traffic congestion.
The Command’s spokesperson, SP Abimbola Adebisi, made the clarification on Monday while responding to a social media user who accused police officers in the Ketu area of causing persistent gridlock on the highway.
An X user, identified as Demmy of Lagos, alleged that officers attached to the Ketu Police Station routinely conduct stop-and-search operations along the Ile-Ile–Ketu bus stop corridor, resulting in traffic delays.
“Why are your men from Ketu police station always conducting stop and search on the highway causing traffic between Ile-Ile and Ketu bus stop? They do this every day with their dogs,” the user wrote in a post addressed to the police.
In her response, Adebisi said the police could not discontinue the operations, noting that they were often intelligence-driven and had contributed to the recovery of weapons and the arrest of criminal suspects.
“We cannot discontinue stop-and-search operations. In many instances, they are intelligence-driven. They serve a critical preventive purpose. Through these operations, we have recorded significant recoveries and apprehended suspects involved in criminal activities,” she said.
She acknowledged that the exercise could cause traffic delays but urged motorists and residents to prioritise security concerns over inconvenience. “I totally agree that it may occasionally cause traffic delays. I’ll implore you to look beyond the inconvenience and focus on the overriding security benefits, which should remain a priority,” she added
