The Lagos State Task Force has arrested 281 street urchins, popularly known as Omotaku, during a week-long enforcement operation across major roads and highways in the state.

The operation covered several areas, including Fadeyi Bus Stop, Bourdillon, Lekki Phase 1, Ikoyi, Lekki–Ajah Expressway, Animashaun Bus Stop, Akowonjo Road, Egbeda, Costain, Funsho Williams Avenue, Victoria Island, Apongbon, Jibowu, Yaba Phase 1, Lagos Island, Palmgrove, Ojuelegba Road, Surulere, and other adjoining roads on both the Island and Mainland, where the activities of the street urchins were observed.

The agency said the suspects were known for harassing motorists and forcing them to part with money, particularly when vehicles developed mechanical faults on the road.

The arrests were described as part of the task force’s ongoing clean-up enforcement operations and its commitment to rid the state of criminal elements.

The Chairman of the Lagos State Task Force, Chief Superintendent of Police Adetayo Akerele, said the agency had taken proactive steps to suppress the activities of Omotaku across the Lagos metropolis to ensure a safe and secure environment.

Akerele said the arrests were carried out on Thursday, January 8, 2026, and yesterday, January 14, 2026, during sustained enforcement actions against street urchins who had previously constituted a nuisance on major roads before the agency’s intervention.

He said that a total of 281 suspects were arrested during the exercise and that all of them had been arraigned in court.

According to him, the activities of Omotaku would soon be eradicated across the state.

Akerele appealed to Lagos residents, particularly motorists, to promptly contact the task force whenever street urchins constituted a nuisance in their areas, advising them to call the agency’s lines for a swift response.

He warned individuals involved in criminal activities to desist, stressing that crime was not a career.