Motorists in Lagos State are complaining of difficulties they face on the roads due to an increase in the number of touts working with the Lagos State task force.

There have been complaints against the agency for collaborating with touts to hijack vehicles, drive one-way and then make videos to accuse motorists of driving against traffic.

In a video shared by Objective TV, a man was seen being manhandled by men identified as thugs working with the task force.

The man, who was waylaid, thought he was being robbed when touts violently crossed him after coming out of traffic.

It was reported that they ordered him out, asked him to surrender his key and when he tried to resist, police joined them.

They allegedly choked an elderly man in his car with teargas, took his number plate, his car battery and other items from his car.

The man’s clothes were reportedly torn while he was trying to escape from the men.

Reacting to the accusation of extortion, Chairman of the Lagos State Task Force, Adetayo Akerele, claimed there was a wave of online attacks on him and the agency by motorists. He attributed this to his refusal to grant special favours to certain social media operators.

He claimed possession of screenshots of Facebook messages showing how the individuals allegedly requested preferential treatment and resorted to threats of blackmail and online smear campaigns when their demands were not met.

“It is both sad and embarrassing that individuals who should be using their social media platforms to disseminate meaningful and enlightening information to the public have instead turned them into tools for blackmail, intimidation and the spread of falsehoods and half-truths,” he said.

Akerele urged the public to treat information from such platforms with caution, noting that their actions were not only misleading but also questionable in intent.

He reaffirmed his commitment to upholding the law without fear or favour, assuring that neither he nor the agency would be intimidated or distracted from the mandate of ensuring orderliness and safety on Lagos roads.

The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, rebuffed the allegation of the task force working with touts.

On the allegation that the government was using the agency for aggressive revenue generation, he said: “I don’t know about that. Lagos is creative enough to not wait for people to commit offences just to make money off them or use the task force to generate revenue; it doesn’t make sense to conclude that; there is no logic in it.”