Building a Safer Lagos: The Role of Police and Interagency Collaboration
By Adebisi Adams Oyeshakin
In Lagos State—Nigeria’s most populous, fast-paced, and commercially strategic hub—the task of maintaining security is as complex as the city’s own rhythm. With over 20 million residents, two seaports, an international airport, and a web of trans-border routes, policing Lagos cannot rely on a single agency. It requires a symphony of cooperation—a shared responsibility anchored on intelligence, trust, and coordination.
Recognizing this reality, the Lagos State Police Command under the leadership of Commissioner of Police Olohundare Moshood Jimoh has deepened partnerships with other law enforcement and security agencies. The collaboration now extends to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) among others.
This web of alliances represents a maturing approach to security management—one that emphasizes intelligence sharing, joint operations, and the synchronization of resources to protect lives and property in Africa’s most dynamic metropolis.
One of the clearest demonstrations of this renewed synergy came in March 2025, when the Lagos State Police Command and the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) BEECROFT reaffirmed their commitment to combating maritime crimes. During a courtesy visit by Commodore Paul Nimmyel to CP Jimoh, both agencies agreed to expand joint patrols and improve intelligence-sharing systems.
This partnership has since enhanced coastal surveillance and reduced sea-related crimes such as smuggling, piracy, and illegal oil bunkering—crimes that have historically undermined the state’s economic stability.
In similar fashion, the Police Command’s collaboration with the NDLEA has become a model for institutional cooperation. Earlier this year, Lagos Police officers arrested suspected drug traffickers along the Mushin–Isolo corridor and immediately handed them over, with their exhibits, to NDLEA officials. The seamless handover underscored the understanding that tackling drug abuse and trafficking is a shared national responsibility that thrives on synergy rather than rivalry.
This spirit of cooperation not only enhances efficiency but also reinforces public confidence in law enforcement. It sends a powerful message: that Nigerian agencies can, and do, work together with professionalism and unity of purpose.
As the nation’s economic gateway, Lagos plays host to major ports, airports, and waterways—making it a magnet for smugglers and traffickers. To address this, the Nigeria Customs Service and the Lagos Police Command have forged closer operational ties.
In May 2025, the Western Marine Command of Customs deepened its collaboration with the Marine Police and NDLEA to curb the smuggling of arms, ammunition, and narcotics through the state’s waterways. The Customs Service also continues to intercept prohibited goods at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, often acting on intelligence shared by the Police.
These joint efforts have significantly strengthened border surveillance, closing entry points to criminals while enhancing the credibility and impact of enforcement operations.
Another pillar of Lagos’s evolving security ecosystem is the partnership between the Police Command and the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS). In July 2025, both institutions agreed to establish a real-time intelligence-sharing framework to track suspects and monitor cross-border movement.
This collaboration allows the police to alert immigration officers about wanted persons, while the NIS flags suspicious travel activity for police intervention. The NIS Comptroller in Lagos, Aliyu Akadri, commended the police for providing actionable intelligence that led to several high-profile arrests of suspects attempting to flee the country.
In an increasingly interconnected world, where criminal networks operate without borders, this partnership ensures that the long arm of the law does not end at Nigeria’s airports or seaports.
Beyond crime control, interagency cooperation is also improving everyday safety. In September 2025, the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Zone 2, Lagos, Adegoke Fayoade, pledged to enhance collaboration with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) across Lagos and Ogun States.
During his visit to the FRSC Zonal Commanding Officer, ACM Ann Oladayo, both parties agreed to strengthen traffic management, accident response, and road safety campaigns. This partnership underscores the broader understanding that public safety includes both crime prevention and the management of urban risks such as accidents and congestion.
The results of these alliances are already visible. Through shared intelligence, investigations are now broader, quicker, and more effective. Duplication of efforts has been reduced, while operational coordination has expanded the reach of law enforcement across Lagos’s complex terrain.
Criminal cases are now handled more efficiently—drug prosecutions are handed over to the NDLEA, smuggling cases to the Customs Service, and immigration violations to the NIS—ensuring that each agency focuses on its core mandate. This has improved the speed and credibility of prosecutions while preventing bureaucratic overlap.
Moreover, joint training sessions, logistics sharing, and the use of surveillance technology have optimized resources and reduced operational costs. For citizens, the visual reassurance of seeing multiple agencies working together—at checkpoints, ports, or community patrols—reinforces public trust. It signals unity of purpose in a nation too often divided by institutional rivalry.
Yet, the journey toward full interagency harmony is not without challenges. One major obstacle remains the fragmentation of data systems. Different agencies operate incompatible technologies, making intelligence sharing cumbersome and sometimes delayed.
Jurisdictional overlaps also create occasional confusion about command authority during joint operations. Disparities in training, funding, and infrastructure further complicate cooperation, as some agencies are better equipped than others.
There is also the issue of sustainability. While collaboration tends to intensify during crises, maintaining coordination during normal times requires formal mechanisms—such as memoranda of understanding, shared budgets, and standardized procedures.
Finally, accountability remains a grey area. Determining responsibility during joint operations—especially when procedural lapses or misconduct occur—can be challenging without clear command structures.
For Lagos to sustain and institutionalize these gains, collaboration must move from personality-driven to policy-driven. Establishing formal agreements among partner agencies will ensure that cooperation endures beyond leadership changes.
A shared digital intelligence platform linking all security agencies in Lagos could revolutionize coordination, enabling real-time access to criminal databases, surveillance feeds, and case tracking. Regular joint training programs should also be institutionalized to promote mutual understanding of each agency’s mandate, culture, and structure.
Furthermore, transparency must underpin these collaborations. After every major operation, joint debriefs and public communication should be conducted to highlight outcomes, lessons, and accountability. Such openness will not only strengthen interagency trust but also enhance public confidence in the security architecture.
The Lagos State Police Command’s proactive embrace of interagency collaboration represents a mature, modern, and inclusive vision of policing. Its partnerships with Customs, Immigration, NDLEA, FRSC, and other agencies affirm a timeless truth: no single institution can secure a megacity alone.
The outcomes—better intelligence, faster response, stronger deterrence, and growing public trust—show that synergy is not just idealistic rhetoric but a practical necessity.
In a city as dynamic, diverse, and demanding as Lagos, the future of public safety will depend not on the strength of any single agency but on the power of collective action.
When agencies share intelligence instead of competing for headlines, when they coordinate rather than duplicate efforts, Lagos becomes not just safer—but smarter.
The security of Nigeria’s commercial heartbeat will ultimately rest on this unshakable foundation: cooperation, communication, and commitment.
Adebisi Adams Oyeshakin is a PRNigeria Fellow and writes via: [email protected]