Lagos Deputy Governor says car spotters harassing luxury car owners will be arrested

• Lagos Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat says car spotting is criminal and will no longer be tolerated.

• He says arrests have already been made and more car spotters will be taken off the streets.

• Surveillance cameras are being used to monitor parts of Lagos as enforcement continues.

Lagos State Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat has vowed to crack down on car spotters, the groups of young men known for approaching and shouting out luxury vehicles on the road, describing their activities as criminal and promising that many of them will be taken off the streets.

Speaking on Daily Digest with Jimi Disu on Nigerian Info FM, Hamzat was asked directly about the car spotters frequently seen around the roundabout leading into Lekki, stopping luxury cars and drawing attention to them, often in exchange for tips from car owners or passersby. "That is criminal, and therefore we will not allow it. We will take a lot of them off the streets," he said.

According to the deputy governor, enforcement efforts are already underway, with a number of arrests already made and surveillance cameras deployed across parts of the state to support monitoring. He framed the issue as part of a broader responsibility to ensure that laws are applied evenly across the state, regardless of who is involved.

"Our job as government is to make sure that we now enforce that law. We must make sure that nobody's above it and nobody's beneath it," Hamzat said. He added that allowing certain groups to operate outside the law sets a dangerous precedent for the wider society.

"We have a crop of people that don't believe in the laws of the system, and they believe they are above the law. And a lot of people then see that to say well, everything goes. We cannot live as a society like that. It's not sustainable."

He said strict, consistent enforcement was necessary to protect the integrity of the state and ensure public confidence in how laws are applied.

The car spotter phenomenon has become a fixture of Lekki's road culture in recent years, with young men frequently gathering around busy intersections to spot, film or shout out expensive vehicles as they pass, sometimes causing minor traffic disruptions or unwanted attention for car owners. 

While some view the practice as a harmless hustle or content-driven entertainment, others, including now the state's deputy governor, have categorised it as a public nuisance requiring formal intervention.

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