Modern Policing and the Pursuit of Gang Leadership
By Adebisi Adams Oyeshakin
Crime stories often fade with the headlines. Arrest made. Weapons seized. Suspects paraded. Public attention moves on. What lingers, however, is a deeper question of direction: are security agencies merely reacting to crime, or are they deliberately dismantling the systems that sustain it?
Recent operations by the Lagos State Police Command under Commissioner of Police Moshood Jimoh point to a shift toward method rather than noise. Two major breakthroughs—one targeting violent gang leadership and another dismantling an organised fraud syndicate—suggest a policing model focused on tracking criminal networks over time, not chasing isolated incidents.
In June 2025, tactical operatives arrested a most-wanted gang leader, Wasiu Akinwande, popularly known as “Olori Eso,” in Agbado, Ogun State. He was described by police as a long-time hired killer and cult gang leader linked to murders, robberies, and kidnappings across Mushin and neighbouring areas for over a decade. His capture was not the product of chance patrols. It followed sustained surveillance, intelligence gathering, and cross-state coordination.
The scale of recovery underscored the nature of the threat: AK-47 rifles, an AK-2 assault rifle, pump-action guns, locally made pistols, dozens of rounds of ammunition, walkie-talkies, and nine international passports. This was not the arsenal of a street-level offender but the footprint of a structured, mobile, and well-organised network. When four families later identified him in cases involving the killing of their relatives, the operation moved from statistics to stark human consequence.
Months later, in January 2026, police dismantled a different kind of network—a “one-chance” and advance-fee fraud syndicate. Thirteen suspects, including an ex-convict, were arrested after investigators tracked a group accused of posing as drivers and passengers to lure commuters, abduct them, and extort their relatives. Vehicles used in the crimes were recovered. Though less visibly violent, such crimes inflict deep psychological trauma, financial loss, and growing fear of public transport.
Taken together, these operations reveal an approach built on mapping criminal ecosystems. Violent gangs operate through weapons, territory, and fear. Fraud networks thrive on deception, mobility, and social engineering. Effective policing demands different tools for each: tactical raids and arms recovery in one case; undercover tracking, victim intelligence, and financial trails in the other.
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This reflects a move away from purely reactive policing, where officers respond only after harm has occurred. Intelligence-led policing focuses on connections—who links to whom, where money flows, where weapons move, and where patterns repeat. It prioritises patient investigation over dramatic confrontation. For a megacity like Lagos, such a model is not optional; it is essential.
Yet arrests alone do not define reform. Public trust depends on consistency, not isolated victories. Residents’ everyday encounters—at roadblocks, in police stations, or in viral videos—shape perception as strongly as headline operations. A strategy-driven police force must match operational success with daily professionalism.
Transparency also matters. When police explain operations, timelines, and evidence, they reduce the space for rumour. When misconduct is acknowledged and officers are disciplined, accountability replaces denial. Both are critical to legitimacy.
Prevention must remain central. “One-chance” crimes exploit commuter habits; public education on safer boarding practices, verified transport points, and rapid reporting systems can reduce vulnerability. Violent gangs often draw recruits from communities facing unemployment and social strain.
Long-term crime reduction therefore lies at the intersection of security, social policy, youth engagement, and urban planning. Policing stands at the front line, but it does not fight alone.
The Lagos operations offer tangible outcomes: a notorious gang leader in custody, sophisticated firearms removed from circulation, fraud suspects arrested, vehicles seized, and victims linked to investigations. These are concrete gains. But reform is not a press release—it is a pattern sustained over time.
The real test lies ahead. Will intelligence units continue to receive support? Will investigations translate into prosecutions and convictions? Will response times improve and citizen interactions become more respectful? Reform becomes visible when systems outlive individual operations.
Lagos remains a complex security environment, shaped by population density, economic inequality, rapid urban growth, and fluid movement across state borders. A policing model grounded in data, coordination, and measured force offers a pathway toward stability, but it requires discipline within the force and cooperation beyond it.
Recent crackdowns suggest a clear direction. They show what happens when criminal networks face sustained pressure rather than episodic raids. For residents, the desired outcome is simple: fewer armed groups controlling neighbourhoods, fewer commuters entering vehicles in fear, and greater confidence in reporting suspicious activity.
Security reform rarely announces itself in a single moment. It emerges through repeated, structured actions that steadily shrink the operating space for criminals. Lagos now shows early signs of such a pattern. Whether it matures into lasting institutional culture depends on what follows after the headlines fade.
Adebisi Adams Oyeshakin, a PRNigeria Fellow, writes via: [email protected]
