Lagos Govt Auctions Forty Four Impounded Vehicles For Driving Against Traffic
LAGOS NOVEMBER 24TH (NEWSRANGERS)-The Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit (Taskforce) in accordance with the Lagos State Transport Sector Reform of 2018 have auctioned 44 vehicles for driving against traffic (one-way) in various parts of the state.
The Agency’s Head, Public Affairs Unit, Adebayo Taofiq, told News Agency of Nigeria (NAÑ) during the exercise which held at the Taskforce carpark Alausa, Ikeja that the exercise was not punitive but corrective in nature.
Taofiq said that the traffic offenders had earlier been charged to the Lagos State Mobile Court and the court had forfeited those vehicles to the Lagos State Government.
“The vehicles being auctioned today were impounded and forfeited to the
Lagos State Government for driving against traffic at different locations
across the state.
“After the forfeiture, the Law says we embark on auction but before we can
embark on auction, we have to get a court order which we applied for and we
were given the court order.
“After which, we made a publication informing interested members of the public, particularly owners of these vehicles to come today for the auction exercise,”he said.
Taofiq said that the vehicles been auctioned was purely a law matter and
that there was nothing anybody could do about it because it was the law taking
it’s course.
He said that it was necessary to sanitise the state of careless and ignorant
drivers and motorcycle (Okada) riders who had started misbehaving with impunity
as if there was no law in Lagos.
“For instance take the menace of the okada riders who use their bikes to rob
victims across the state.
“Should the government fold their arms and watch as the standard of the state
is being reduced to zero.
“Immediately after the EndSARS protest, Lagos was locked down by motorist driving against traffic, driving on BRT corridors and causing obstruction on highways, not minding security personnel on the road,” Taofiq said.
He applauded the efforts of the Chairman of the Lagos State Taskforce, CSP
Olayinka Egbeyemi in sanitising the state against traffic offenders.
“Egbeyemi created an anti one-way team with the agency and divided them to
different locations across the state.
“This include those monitoring the BRT corridors and those enforcing restricted
routes for okada riders which is not an easy task to carry out but we just have
to do it.
“The auctioning exercise been carried out is to serve as deterrent to others to
desist from going against traffic rules and be orderly when on the road,” the
unit head said.
Taofiq, also appreciated the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu for
the support he had been giving the agency and all the enforcement officers
across the state.
He reiterated that the enforcement exercise of the Taskforce was not punitive
but corrective for the safety of both the driver and the passenger.
“If these laws can be adhered to, then there will not be much causalities at
various hospitals because of okada accidents or from collision as a result of
vehicles plying one-way.
“Those who drive against traffic usually hit people because when people want to
cross the road they will not be expecting a car coming from the opposite
direction.
“By the time we follow the law, there will be orderliness and sanity on our highways,”
he said. Taofiq appealed to members of the public particularly motorists and
okada riders to desist from contravening the Lagos State Transport Reform
Sector of 2018.
“These includes driving against traffic, driving on BRT corridors and causing
obstruction on the highway as part of the law because once you are caught, you
will be charged to court.
“There is no alternative way to that,” he said.
Taofiq, also advised people to stop inducing traffic officers with money
whenever they were arrested saying that “the same law that affects the taker,
also affects the giver”.
Meanwhile, Ade Abass, a clothier who lives in Surulere, the owner of a 2008
Hyundai Elantra said that the auctioning exercise would only throw more people
into depression.
Abass said that since the beginning of the year, things had been difficult
as a result of the pandemic because people had been on lockdown and
unproductive for a longtime.
“Also the EndSARS protest affected my business because my shop on the Lagos
Island was broken into by hoodlums.
“These challenges is what made me put up my car for Uber so that the driver can
be delivering some money weekly to my family for sustenance.
“We had the agreement three months ago and he has been delivering without
hiccups until he was caught driving against traffic around Costain area of the
state,” he said.
Abass said that he was the final bidder for his car which he bade for
N300,000 but the truth is “I don’t even have the money to pay for it,” he said.
“I was recently given a court order by my landlord to evacuate his house,
honestly I just do not know how I am going to make ends meet.
“I appeal to the Lagos State Government to help us out in whatever way he can
use his good office to,” he said.
NAN
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