The Lagos State Government has intensified security measures around the Badagry border as part of efforts to tackle child theft, abduction and trafficking in the area.

The government identified the border location as a factor that can make it easier for suspected traffickers to move children across jurisdictions and evade arrest.

The development has prompted increased attention to security coordination around Badagry, with authorities seeking to strengthen collaboration among security agencies and other stakeholders responsible for protecting vulnerable children.

The Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Security and other officials have raised concerns about the vulnerability created by Badagry’s proximity to the international border, particularly in cases involving suspected child trafficking.

Authorities are also reviewing their approach to security meetings in the area. Rather than relying on less frequent engagements, meetings are being held on a bi-monthly basis to enable stakeholders to respond more quickly to emerging security threats.

The increased frequency is intended to improve information sharing, identify emerging patterns and strengthen the ability of security agencies to act before threats escalate.

Badagry’s geographical position makes it an important transit area between Nigeria and neighbouring Benin Republic. The area has long been connected to cross-border movement, making effective monitoring and inter-agency cooperation particularly important for law enforcement.

The renewed security focus comes amid wider concerns over child trafficking and the movement of vulnerable children through informal routes.

Government officials are expected to work with security agencies and relevant community stakeholders to improve surveillance and intelligence gathering around the border and surrounding communities.

The authorities have also stressed the importance of community participation in tackling child-related crimes, as residents are often in a position to identify suspicious movements and provide information that can assist security agencies.

The intensified measures are expected to complement existing efforts to protect children across Lagos and prevent criminal networks from exploiting the state’s border communities.

With security meetings now taking place more frequently, the government hopes to ensure that emerging threats in Badagry are identified and addressed promptly while strengthening coordination among the agencies responsible for security and child protection.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has approved the appointment of Professor Ayodeji Olawunmi Badejo as the new Vice-Chancellor of Lagos State University, LASU, succeeding Professor Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello.

The appointment was announced on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, as Olatunji-Bello’s tenure at the university approaches its end. Multiple reports identified Badejo as the incoming Vice-Chancellor.

Badejo is a professor in LASU’s Department of Educational Foundations and Counselling Psychology. The university’s academic profile lists her specialisation as Counselling Psychology and confirms that she holds a PhD in Guidance and Counselling from the University of Lagos, obtained in 1998.

She has spent several years in academia at LASU, where her work has focused on counselling psychology and related areas of education and human development.

Her appointment places an academic with a background in guidance and counselling at the helm of one of Nigeria’s major state-owned universities at a time when higher education institutions are facing increasing demands for academic excellence, student welfare and institutional development.

Badejo will take over from Olatunji-Bello, who became LASU’s ninth substantive Vice-Chancellor after her appointment by Sanwo-Olu in September 2021. Olatunji-Bello’s tenure is due to end on September 19, 2026.

Olatunji-Bello’s administration oversaw several developments at the university during her tenure, including efforts to strengthen LASU’s academic standing and institutional programmes.

The change in leadership is therefore expected to usher in a new phase for the university as Badejo assumes responsibility for the institution’s academic and administrative affairs.

As Vice-Chancellor, Badejo will oversee LASU’s campuses, academic programmes, research activities and relations with students, staff, government and other stakeholders.

The Lagos State Government remains the owner of the university, while the Vice-Chancellor serves as the institution’s chief executive and is responsible for its day-to-day administration and implementation of its policies.

Badejo’s appointment also makes her one of the senior female academics to occupy the Vice-Chancellorship of LASU, following Olatunji-Bello’s tenure.

Former Social Democratic Party governorship candidate in Kogi State, Murtala Yakubu Ajaka, has denied involvement in a protest against the Independent National Electoral Commission, describing reports linking him to the demonstration as false and misleading.

Ajaka’s position was contained in a statement signed by his Head of Media and Public Communications, Prince Tijani Dauda, and issued in Lokoja on Wednesday. The statement was in response to a publication by a group identified as Igala Vanguard, which allegedly linked the former candidate to the protest.

Ajaka said he did not authorise, sponsor, direct, commission or coordinate the demonstration, stressing that the actions of citizens who independently chose to protest should not automatically be attributed to him.

“For the avoidance of doubt, Alhaji Murtala Yakubu Ajaka did not authorise, sponsor, direct, commission or coordinate the protest,” the statement said.

His media team argued that attributing the protest to Ajaka amounted to an attempt to mislead the public and associate him with an action in which he had no involvement.

The statement also defended the right of citizens to peaceful assembly, noting that Igala youths and other citizens do not require the permission or sponsorship of a political figure before expressing concerns about issues affecting their communities, representation and future.

Ajaka’s team questioned why citizens who independently decide to speak out should be assumed to be acting on the instructions of a political actor.

It further accused unnamed individuals and groups of allegedly using fictitious associations and pseudo-identities to engage in character assassination, political manipulation and the circulation of unsubstantiated claims.

The former SDP candidate’s media office warned those allegedly using his name for political purposes to desist, describing such actions as attempts to create manufactured controversies around him.

It also challenged anyone with allegations against Ajaka to come forward openly, identify themselves and present evidence capable of withstanding public scrutiny.

Despite distancing Ajaka from the protest, his team said he respects the constitutional responsibilities of the electoral commission and its leadership.

The statement specifically said Ajaka holds the INEC Chairman and the commission in high esteem, expressing confidence that the electoral body would continue to perform its responsibilities with fairness, professionalism and respect for the law.

The clarification comes as political activity gradually intensifies ahead of the 2027 general elections, with electoral issues, constituency representation and the activities of INEC increasingly becoming subjects of public debate and political mobilisation.

Ajaka, who contested the 2023 Kogi governorship election on the SDP platform, has remained a prominent opposition figure in the state.

His latest statement therefore seeks to draw a clear line between his political activities and the protest, while maintaining that citizens should retain their right to peacefully express their grievances without their actions being attributed to political figures without evidence.

Ajaka’s team urged the public and media organisations to disregard what it described as the false attribution and rely on verifiable facts when reporting matters involving the former governorship candidate.