CEM REPORT | A total of 146 vehicles were arrested across Lagos State for various traffic offences in August 2022 by the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA).
The owners/drivers of 146 vehicles are being arraigned and prosecuted before the Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Mobile Court.
General Manager, LASTMA, Bolaji Oreagba, who disclosed this over the weekend, explained that 77 offenders were being prosecuted for one-way driving, five for willful obstruction, five for illegal parking, two for unpainted commercial vehicles, five for wrongful overtaking, four for driving on walkways/kerbs, and six for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) obstructions.
Others are 10 for reckless and dangerous driving, four for picking/dropping passengers at undesignated bus stops and five for disobeying traffic control officers among others.
Oreagba noted that all those arraigned by the agency before the Lagos Mobile Court were found ‘guilty’ as charged after strong pictorial and video evidence tendered by LASTMA’s prosecution team.
While stressing that LASTMA would continue to strengthen its monitoring and enforcement team to apprehend Traffic Law violators. He further urged all road users including commercial bus drivers to always drive with caution.
“Also, as part of our feedbacks mechanism, we attended and resolved various complaints from motorists via our ‘complaints lines and social media handles 08174722227 08100565860; Instagram (ekolastma); Twitter (@followlastma); Facebook (ekolastma); YouTube (LASTMATV) and SoundCloud (@lastmaRadio).
“It is disheartening that despite vigorous public enlightenment and advocacy campaigns via various media outlets, including online sensitization on the dangers inherent in disobeying traffic rules and regulations, some recalcitrant drivers are still endangering the safety of other road users.”
Also, the Director, Legal Department of LASTMA, Akerele Kehinde Oseni, said the prosecution of the arrested owners/drivers of the 146 vehicles for various traffic violations would serve as a deterrent to other recalcitrant road users.
Akerele, however, informed that the 146 impounded vehicles were later released to their respective owners after verifications of receipts of payment of fines with other relevant documents.
