Rethinking Policing in Lagos By Adebisi A. Oyeshakin
The Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, deserves commendation for his deliberate and strategic deployment of capable officers to key commands within the Nigeria Police Force. As a forward-thinking and pragmatic security leader—himself a former Commissioner of Police and later Deputy Inspector General in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID)—his choices reflect deep institutional insight and operational experience.
It was therefore no surprise when he appointed CP Olohundare Moshood Jimoh to oversee one of Nigeria’s most demanding security environments: Lagos State. The decision aligns with Egbetokun’s reputation for matching leadership roles with officers of proven competence and resilience.
Lagos — Africa’s second-fastest-growing megacity — is both the country’s pride and its greatest policing challenge. In a city where crime evolves faster than bureaucracy, policing demands not just force, but foresight.
From his first day, Jimoh made it clear that the era of reactive policing was over. His mantra, proactive policing, underscored a shift from waiting for crimes to happen to preventing them before they occur. It was a declaration rooted in modern policing philosophy — one that favours intelligence, technology, and partnership over brute response.
Within his first six months, Commissioner Jimoh began to modernize the operational architecture of the Command. Intelligence units were strengthened, surveillance systems reorganized, and inter-agency coordination intensified. Officers received new training in digital tracking and data-driven analysis — a shift that quickly produced tangible results.
One of the earliest successes of this strategy was the disruption of organized cult networks in Ikorodu and Shomolu, achieved through the use of informant systems and coordinated surveillance. It was a glimpse of how information and foresight could replace the old routine of reaction and pursuit.
But Jimoh also recognized that urban policing is not merely about intelligence — it is about trust. In a city of over 22 million people, where poverty and pressure cohabit with wealth and opportunity, policing must engage communities, not alienate them.
He instructed every Area Commander to engage directly with market associations, transport unions, and school authorities, transforming potential flashpoints into early-warning hubs. This consistent outreach has turned community leaders into informal security partners, expanding the flow of actionable intelligence from the grassroots.
Having previously served as Force Public Relations Officer, Jimoh understands that policing is as much about perception as performance. He has consistently emphasized that the police must not only fight crime but also earn respect through conduct.
His firm disciplinary stance against misconduct has set a new tone. The establishment of accessible complaint response units has given citizens a channel to report abuse or negligence — a quiet revolution in a country where impunity has too often defined law enforcement.
Jimoh’s emphasis on ethics and accountability demonstrates that effective policing begins with self-discipline. His approach reframes integrity not as an ideal, but as a professional necessity.
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Commissioner Jimoh brings to his leadership a rare blend of international training and local insight. His experience in counterterrorism, maritime rescue, and anti-hijacking across the United States and China has shaped his understanding of policing as an interdisciplinary practice — one that blends psychology, logistics, and diplomacy.
This global exposure informs his recent focus on maritime security, an often-overlooked aspect of Lagos’ crime ecosystem. With its vast coastline and active ports, Lagos’ maritime corridors are vital to both national security and economic stability. By prioritizing port security, Jimoh aligns Lagos policing with Nigeria’s broader economic and geopolitical interests.
In Jimoh’s reform philosophy, respect for human rights is a tool of effectiveness, not an obstacle to enforcement. He insists that every citizen encounter must reflect the institution’s integrity. As he often says, “Discipline is the beginning of public trust.”
This ethos has begun to influence officer behaviour, fostering a culture of professionalism that, while still imperfect, is steadily replacing the old culture of coercion.
By mid-2025, the Lagos State House of Assembly publicly acknowledged improvements in response mechanisms and reductions in cult-related killings. While no one would claim that Lagos is suddenly free of crime, the difference is visible — a Command that listens, adapts, and responds.
However, the Commissioner himself admits that challenges persist. Lagos’ diversity means that crime manifests in multiple forms — from cultism and cybercrime to traffic extortion and street robbery. Funding constraints and outdated infrastructure remain serious barriers. Yet Jimoh’s openness about these weaknesses, and his call for collaboration rather than excuses, marks a refreshing departure from the denialism of the past.
Perhaps the most striking aspect of Commissioner Jimoh’s leadership is his understanding of policing as a shared responsibility. He consistently frames crime not merely as a legal breach but as a social failure — the product of broken community structures, moral decay, and institutional neglect.
His emphasis on moral reorientation among both citizens and officers speaks to a deeper truth: sustainable security begins with societal values. This broader perspective has helped reposition the Lagos Command as not just an enforcement agency, but as part of a larger social ecosystem working to preserve order and cohesion.
Jimoh’s pilot installation of surveillance cameras across key corridors — Ojota, Oshodi, Lekki, and Ikeja — marks an important start in technology-driven policing. The next frontier, as he has hinted, is data integration — linking police, transport, and emergency agencies into a unified digital security platform.
Achieving this will require political will and funding, but if realized, it could transform Lagos into a model for smart urban policing in West Africa.
Commissioner Olohundare Moshood Jimoh’s tenure represents a significant experiment in reform-driven, ethically conscious policing. His combination of intelligence, empathy, and integrity is gradually redefining how Nigeria’s most complex state is secured.
While his agenda remains a work in progress, it already offers a template for adaptive leadership within rigid institutions. The true test of his success will be continuity — ensuring that reforms outlast the man who started them.
For now, his first year provides a blueprint of what pragmatic, people-centred policing can look like in 21st-century Nigeria — a model rooted in transparency, technology, and trust.
If sustained, Jimoh’s Lagos experiment could well become a case study for reforming security institutions nationwide — proving that policing, when guided by vision and virtue, can serve not just the state, but society itself.
ADEBISI ADAMS OYESHAKIN, a PRNigeria Fellow writes from Lagos via; [email protected]
