The police in Lagos have faulted claim that the Alimosho Local Government chairman, Ishola Ejibadero, alongside louts accompanied by operatives of the Lagos State Police Command on Saturday desecrated the Christ Gospel Mission International campground at Command Road, Ipaja.

The Labour Party candidate in the Lagos 2023 governorship election, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, during his declaration for the African Democratic Congress, said the louts under the watchful eyes of the police destroyed property in the church to prevent the event from holding.

According to Mr Rhodes-Vivour, the event for about 4,000 Alimosho indigenes and Ikeja residents for free medical check-ups and to help unemployed youths among them secure profitable jobs, was disrupted after the earlier venue was sealed after payment following “orders from above.” 

Mr Rhodes-Vivour said, “Accompanied the chairman of Alimosho Local Government, with over 80 policemen, they sealed the place with Black Maria, Hiluxes and all of that. We went there to talk to them, to see the CP to no avail. We got another venue on a church premises, in a private, secure premises, our people were there peacefully, no activity, just waiting for me to come. The chairman of Agbado Oke-Odo, Ejibadero, went there with thugs accompanied by policemen and completely destroyed everything there.”

Mr Rhodes-Vivour also in a post on X, later in the day, further alleged that the thugs stabbed some people at the event. 

He said, “The thugs came in their numbers, ushered in and backed up by the police and the state, and stabbed everyone they could reach. Thankfully we had secured three different venues knowing we were dealing with blood thirsty kleptocrats. They destroyed the first and desecrated the second. It didn’t matter to them that it was owned by a church. They destroyed speakers and spilt blood in the highest temple of the most high.”

Dismissing the claim as false and misleading, the state police deputy spokesperson, Babaseyi Oluseyi, in a statement on behalf of the commissioner of police, Olohundare Jimoh, said that the operatives were only performing their primary function of preventing, controlling crime and maintaining peace in the area and other parts of the state.

Mr Oluseyi said the command distanced its personnel, “from insinuations linking it to party politics and political issues in Lagos State. The allegations by a section of a political party of the police personnel supporting one political party against the other is completely false, misleading and a disservice to the Lagos State police command.’’

He stated that the command deployed joint police teams of conventional police, the tactical squads and anti-riot police units to patrol the entire area of Alimosho LGA and other parts of Lagos State for crime prevention and control, and to nip in the bud any likely disturbance of public peace and safety throughout the state.

He added that the deployment which started from September 4, 2025, throughout and beyond was aimed to protect the citizenry, lives and property of the people of the affected area. 

Mr Oluseyi said that no individual or political party had lodged any complaint at any of its divisions regarding any attack or counterattack on any person, group of persons or on property in the area or any other location in the state. 

He added, “The police teams deployed out were very professional and polite, they provided adequate security and protection to all and are nonpartisan. At no time were police officers from the Lagos State Police Command provided cover to any of the political party member(s) to attack members of the opposite political party as claimed in the report.’’