The Lagos State Police Command has defended officers of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) captured in a trending video driving against the normal direction of traffic, insisting that their action was a legitimate emergency response and not a deliberate violation of traffic regulations.

In a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Adebisi, the Command explained that the patrol vehicle, identified as RRS Attack 07, was responding to distress calls from motorists trapped in a heavy traffic congestion who needed urgent police intervention to clear the obstruction.

According to the Police, the RRS team, led by an Inspector, was dispatched by the Command's Control Room and, being the closest available police formation, had to navigate through the opposite lane to reach the source of the traffic obstruction and restore free movement.

The Command cited Regulation 158 of the National Road Traffic Regulations, 2012, which allows police officers responding to emergencies or carrying out civil protection duties to disregard certain traffic signs, provided they exercise due care for the safety of other road users.

However, the Police expressed displeasure over the confrontation between the officers and some individuals captured in the viral footage, accusing them of deliberately obstructing and harassing officers carrying out their lawful duties.

The Command further warned social media content creators against provoking or deliberately creating confrontations with police personnel for online engagement, stressing that anyone found obstructing officers in the lawful discharge of their duties could face the full weight of the law under Section 98 of the Nigeria Police Act, 2020.

Reiterating the Command's commitment to professional and accountable policing, the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, CP Tijani Fatai, assured residents that the Command would continue to protect lives and property, maintain public order and ensure the free movement of persons and vehicles across Lagos State.