The Renewal Group (TRG), a newly formed non-aligned political pressure group, has raised alarm over what it described as the degeneration of policing in Lagos State, calling for urgent reforms to restore law and order in Nigeria’s commercial capital.
Speaking at the group’s press briefing in Lagos, Chairman of CFL and leader of TRG, Lai Omotola, emphasized that policing remains central to national development. He noted that no nation can thrive without law and order, stressing that “the development of any nation is a direct function of its police.”
Omotola traced the decline of the Nigerian Police to deliberate weakening during military rule, when funding and ammunition were withheld to prevent the force from resisting coups. He acknowledged former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s effort to rebrand the institution by changing its name from “Nigeria Police Force” to “Nigeria Police” in a bid to make it more citizen-friendly.
However, Omotola argued that political interests have further eroded the police, claiming that unpopular politicians rely on a weakened force to secure power during elections.
Turning focus to Lagos, he described the state as Africa’s “Centre of Excellence” and a city that “must live up to the full meaning of its name.” With a population of over 22 million, Omotola said Lagos functions like a nation and deserves a policing system that matches its strategic importance.
TRG expressed concern over what it called embarrassing lapses in policing under the current Commissioner of Police, Moshood Jimoh. The group revealed that it had petitioned President Bola Tinubu to set up a panel of inquiry into policing in Lagos.
As evidence of its claims, TRG pointed to a recent viral video involving the Lagos State Task Force. Omotola criticized the Task Force’s operations, arguing that road enforcement should be left to federal agencies like the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and state agencies such as LASTMA. He further accused the Task Force of failing in its primary environmental duties, citing the return of monthly sanitation exercises as proof of inefficiency.
“This is not a time for media rants,” Omotola declared. “It is time to establish facts and figures. Lagos must be a city of law and order wrapped with sanity and splendor.”
The Renewal Group pledged to continue pressing for reforms, positioning itself as a watchdog to ensure that policing in Lagos aligns with the city’s reputation as a hub of excellence and progress.