Lagos Deputy Governor Slams Lekki Car Spotting as Criminal

Lagos State Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat has called the act of car spotters halting luxury vehicles along the Lekki-Epe Expressway criminal. He promised that the state government will take serious action against those involved.

Mr Hamzat made this statement during a chat on Nigeria Info FM. Broadcaster Jimi Disu raised concerns about car spotters stopping luxury vehicles on the road and asked the deputy governor to step in.

Car spotting is when enthusiasts look for, take pictures of, or record unusual, exotic, and luxury cars. This activity happens in many cities worldwide. However, Mr Hamzat is worried about people stopping vehicles on the Lekki road.

"That is criminal and therefore, we will not allow it. We will take a lot of them off the streets," he said.

The deputy governor also mentioned that the state government has arrested several individuals following Mr Disu’s complaint. He described these individuals as a nuisance to society.

Mr Hamzat explained that surveillance cameras set up along the road have helped security agencies catch the suspects. He said that some of those identified have already been arrested.

"Well, a lot of people have been arrested. If you commit… a lot of cameras are also on that road, and people have been seen.

"And I can show you people; some people are in the Magistrate Court today. They were arrested last week or so. I think towards the end, no, over the weekend," he said.

Mr Hamzat also spoke out against the harassment of guests by area boys at the wedding of TikTokers Habeeb “Peller” Hamzat and Amadou “Jarvis” Aminata. He called the incident unacceptable.

He made this comment while answering a caller who asked what the government was doing to control such activities.

The deputy governor said the government needs to regulate many aspects of public life.

"I don’t know if you’ve seen the video. Some boys are saying, ‘Oh, we know Peller. He used to be here. He must give us our own.’ And a lot of them are giving cash. So as a society, that must be unacceptable. So the reality is that if we say, ‘Oh, it’s okay.’ We cannot control anything. Then we must be able to live with what we see as a people.

"It’s one of the things that we mentioned: there’s a time in the National Assembly, some people submitted a bill to regulate social media. And people went all over. Lawyers were saying freedom… There is no nation where you don’t control things. Social media is a tool. I’m a computer scientist. It’s a tool. But, you know, we have this belief that, oh, we cannot just do anything."