Lagos Police Begin Clamp Down On Local Govt Traffic Officials

LAGOS MAY 28TH (NEWSRANGERS)-The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgal has ordered massive clamp down on local government officials who engage in traffic control in the state.
The CP has given a matching order to the operatives of the Lagos State Task Force to carry out the order with immediate effect.
The CP also ordered the agency not to spare street urchins who extort money from motorists.
Chairman, Lagos State Task Force SP Olayinka Egbeyemi, who confirmed this said the directives by Edgal, was a sequel to complain by motorists that they were being extorted by unscrupulous traffic officials.
Egbeyemi said CP Edgal was not comfortable with the rate of extortion of motorists by notorious traffic officials who claimed to be enforcing the Lagos State Road Traffic Law of 2012.
He said that as a responsive and responsible government every right of Lagosians including motorists is paramount to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode.
He reiterated that ban of all Local Governments traffic officials from controlling or engaging in traffic duties by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode still stand.
According to him, motorists complain every day about illegal activities of traffic officials in mufti collecting illegal fees with fake Local government tickets and the police have decided to stop the act with immediate effect.
“Indeed there is traffic unit in all the 20 Local Governments Areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas. However, traffic management is not the responsibility of the third tier of government. We have reported instances of illegal arrest, extortions and general impunity on the part of the Local Government operatives. We have decided to stop the act.
“Only the Nigerian Police, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Taskforce and the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) can perform traffic duties.
“Motorists should always adhere strictly to traffic regulations and report to the nearest police station illegal activities of notorious traffic officials. The government has not exceeded its traffic management responsibilities to touts and the third tier of the government.
“Starting from today, Monday 28, hard times awaits any local government official caught controlling traffic or extorting money from motorists as he or she will be arrested and prosecuted accordingly”,
He, however, enjoined Chairmen of Local governments and local council development areas of the state to maintain zero tolerance to illegal traffic duties around their respective councils or areas as any traffic official caught by the agency would be seriously dealt with in accordance with the law.

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