The Nation Newspaper

Tag: LASTMA

  • Okota’s LASTMA extortionist gang?

    There appears a LASTMA extortionist gang, preying on citizens, in the Okota sector of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), under a trooper simply called Aloma.

    Just follow this Hardball reportage and make up your mind after.

    Friday, November 4.  Citizen Folasade, driving a Toyota Yaris saloon car with registration number AKD 756 AU, had lawful business to transact at Diamond Bank, on Ago Palace Way.  It was 11:25 am.

    On getting there, the security personnel directed her on how and where where to park, since the parking space was almost always overwhelmed by customers’ vehicles.  Though the vehicle jutted a bit at the road, it in no way obstructed traffic.

    But too soon, some uproar outside, between towing LASTMA troopers and the bank’s security people, attracted her attention.  Her car was the centre of the excitement, not because, she would later gather, she did anything wrong, but because the LASTMA personnel had a previous but unsettled scuffle with the bank’s security, to which her car now fell some scape goat.

    In the hubbub, the LASTMA troopers threatened to tow her car, which the bank’ security rebuffed, and everything was turning ugly.  At that instant, one of the LASTMA officials approached her to please allow him to move the vehicle a bit from “towing zone”, so the bawling and screaming parties could have more civil conversations.

    So, she yielded the driver’s seat, moving over to the front passenger’s seat.  But the moment the LASTMA trooper grabbed the steering wheel, he tore out, with great recklessness and bedlam, to their Dibor Street, Okota, operational unit headquarters, nearly crashing the car, in his mad rush.

    At the Dibor Street facility, which also houses a Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) Okota Unit, LASTMA impounded the car and threatened the owner with a N30, 000 “fine”!

    The young woman reported the case to her mother, who was a vice principal at one of the adjoining schools, in the schools complex, on the street.  The teachers, in sympathy with one of their own, went to the LASTMA office, asking officials to explain the “fine”.

    But the LASTMA column, led by “Aloma”, threatened to hold the car over the weekend,  except the owners paid up.   For effect, the troopers deflated three of the car’s tyres.  Meanwhile, the trooper that seized the car, clearly realizing his wrongful conduct, wore another shirt to cover his name, normally printed on the uniform, over the breast pocket.

    Feeling at the mercy of Aloma and his boys, the teachers resorted to pleading; and some negotiation ensured, even as the young lady insisted she committed no offence to merit any surcharge.

    At the end, the Aloma-led troopers extorted N5, 000 from their victims.  What is more?  Aloma gloated about  “forming (pretentious) London girls who had no money in their pockets”!  To which the young lady retorted: “Even if I had money, would I spend it bribing LASTMA, after doing nothing wrong?”

    This then was the odyssey of a lawful citizen, on the Okota sector where LASTMA is empowered by law to ease traffic.  From Aloma and Co’s conduct however, it would appear some of the troopers rather take lawless advantage of their lawful duty.

    But is this a one-off thing?   Or a daily contagion on innocent but voiceless citizens?

    That is what the LASTMA authorities and the Lagos government should find out.

  • LASTMA deploys 1,200 officers

    The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has deployed 1,200 newly recruited traffic officers to the roads in order to ease traffic gridlock in the state.

    Speaking at the at the LASTMA Oshodi headquarters, Ministry of Transportation Permanent Secretary Olusheyi  Whenu said the initiative is to ensure 24 hours functional economy and sanity on the roads.

    Whenu urged the officers to hit the ground running.

    According to him, the officers have been trained in the act of modern traffic management based on scientific approach, rule of law, respect for motorists and members of the public.

    He warned them to eschew corruption and any act capable of bringing the image of the agency to disrepute.

    Anyone caught in the act of corruption, he warned, would be dealt with in accordance with the law.

    He assured them of continuous government support in the course of performing their statutory responsibility.

    LASTMA Chief Executive Officer Chris Olakpe hailed the decision of the government to recruit the officers at a period when other states are facing challenges of paying workers’ salaries.

    This singular action, Olakpe said, has demonstrated the commitment of the government to improve living standard of the people of the state.

    Olakpe, a retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) said the officers would work with other traffic and security agencies to make live better for Lagosians.

    He enjoined motorists to cooperate with the traffic officers.

  • Lagos Assembly approves dismissal of LASTMA official

    Lagos Assembly approves dismissal of LASTMA official

    Members of the Lagos State House of Assembly on Tuesday approved the dismissal of a Lagos State Traffic Management Agency, LASTMA, officer, Mr. Onipede Olusegun from Lagos State Civil Service over alleged extortion.

    Onipede had submitted a petition titled “Dismissal from civil service” seeking reversal on the judgment of the LASTMA Authority to the House.

    In the petition, he stated he was on a patrol around Ojota axis when vehicles were parked indiscriminately at the bus-stop which resulted to traffic build-up and he instructed the driver of the vehicle in the front to move in order to ease traffic but the driver refused vehemently.

    Onipede further stated that he snapped the vehicle with his phone as a result of his refusal and the conductor held his hand and pleaded with him to delete the pictures, in the process of holding his hand while pleading that a passersby took the photograph and shared same on the social media which the LASTMA Authority came across and allege him of extortion from a bus conductor.

    He also stated that all attempts to explain what transpired between him and the bus conductor to LASTMA Authority was rebuffed. He stressed that he couldn’t have done anything that will jeopardize the operational guidelines of the Agency to enrich his pockets.

    In response to the petition, Chairman Committee on Establishment, Training, Pension and Public Service, Hon. Dayo Famakinwa invited necessary stakeholders to investigate the matter and reached a conclusion to adopt the position of the Civil Service Commission to the effect that Mr. Onipede Vincent Olusegun be dismissed from the service of LASTMA over alleged extortion.

    Contributing, Hon. Omotayo Oduntan stated that the fear of LASTMA is the beginning of traffic wisdom in Lagos State but now there are many bad ones among them who have become allies of Danfo drivers thereby extorting money from them. “I could recall one LASTMA officer tried to extort money from a Danfo driver but pleaded for forgiveness after I accosted him. I think it’s nemesis that caught up with the man in question and it will serve as a deterrent to other LASTMA officials who indulge in such disgusting behaviour”, she said.

  • Taxi driver breaks LASTMA official’s leg

    Taxi driver breaks LASTMA official’s leg

    A taxi driver, Sunday Agbariko, yesterday broke the leg of an official of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Olayemi Isiaka with his vehicle.

    He ran over Isiaka’s leg while trying to escape arrest.

    Agbariko, who is also said to be a security personnel with Mama Prayer Mountain International, at the LASTMA Ojota Yard, hit Isiaka with his Nissan Primera car marked FKJ 762 QX.

    Isiaka was said to be standing at the entrance when the incident occurred.

    Agbariko was earlier arrested by another LASTMA official for reckless and dangerous driving and also for violating the state traffic law.

    The taxi driver, who pretended to be complying by following the traffic officer to the yard, demanded for his car key on the pretext of removing vital documents. He ignited the engine, tyring to drive out of the yard dangerously and hit the victim.

    According to LASTMA Public Relations Officer Mahmud Hassan, Agbariko has been handed over to the Area F Police Command for further investigation.

    The victim is said to be receiving treatment at the Emergency Ward of Igbobi Orthopedic Hospital, Yaba.

    LASTMA General Manager, Mr Bashir Braimah, condemned the action of some drivers, who he said, are in the habit of violating traffic laws and disrespecting traffic lights and officers on duty.

    He warned that LASTMA will not be intimidated by anybody nor shy away from performing the task of maintaining law and order on Lagos roads.

  • Two held for ‘stealing’ batteries in LASTMA yard

    Two held for ‘stealing’ batteries in LASTMA yard

    The Rapid Response Squad (RRS) has arrested 24-year-old Hakeem Fatai for allegedly stealing batteries from the Ojota Area Office of Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA)

    Its operatives, who acted on a tip-off by the LASTMA’s management about the missing batteries from their premises, laid siege for the suspect and caught him while attempting to remove another battery from an impounded bus.

    The Nation learnt that over 20 batteries have been removed from impounded vehicles parked withing the authority’s premises within two weeks.

    On arrival at the RRS’ Headquarters, the suspect owned up that he operated with an accomplice he identified as Yahoo, now at large.

    RRS quoted him as saying: “Yes I am responsible for the missing batteries. But I didn’t work alone. We are two and our targeted vehicle was Volkswagen bus because its batteries can be removed easily without much stress. We don’t usually go for trailer for its battery is protected with burglary”.

    The suspect, who was picked-up around 2am on Friday by the operatives, said that he always scale the agency’s fence to access the compound and remove the batteries while his accomplice stayed outside.

    “We have devised our operation to the extent that no one could suspect us while committing the crime inside the premises. We know the exact time to scale the fence because their security guards are too fond of sleeping. We capitalised on their inefficiency to strike,” he said.

    The RRS led him to arrest the receiver of the stolen items, Nofiu Oriade, 46, on Saturday.

    According to the RRS, Oriade claimed ignorant of the crime, saying that he never knew those batteries were stolen items.

    “I was ignorant of the sources of those batteries. I thought he was a scavenger who picked up any unused items from refuse dump. I don’t know he is a thief. I have regretted my action to have been collecting those batteries from him,” he said.

    Police spokesperson Dolapo Badmos, a Superintendent (SP) said the suspects have been transferred to Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) for further investigation.

  • LASTMA adopts e-ticketing

    LASTMA adopts e-ticketing

    In the spirit of the time, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) is to introduce electronic ticketing (e-ticketing) and internet services, its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chris Olakpe, said yesterday.

    At the launching of the training for 1,350 recruits at the LASTMA Oshodi Headquarters, Olakpe, a retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police, said the tickets would now be given through the Point of Sale (PoS) machine. The recruits, he said, would be the new face of LASTMA and lauded GovernorAkinwunmi Ambode for approving their recruitment.

    Olakpe said: “He gave approval for the recruitment of 1,350 persons. The training has commenced and it would include traffic management, control, scene of accident activities, and we have also included in the training manuals, issues of intelligence gathering and surveillance techniques so that as they control traffic, they are also crime monitors. We are also going to train them in terms of the rule of law so that they would know that the era when LASTMA agents can do and undo has passed. “We are going to increase their knowledge on arrest protocol. The arrest protocol would show them how to start the process of arrest and how to use the e-manual in traffic control. Now, we are going to drop manual ticketing for e-ticketing. I want to sound a note of warning that there would be no waivers for e-ticketing.”

    He urged the recruits to eschew corruption, put God first and to imbibe the principles of the three Fs which are the protocols of arrest.

    According to him, “the first F is Fair-play, the second is Friendliness and the third is Firmness. You must be fair, you must be firm and you must be friendly in line with the issues of the new details of the rule of law. No more shall LASTMA men be found chatting in the streets. We require from you that you have obtained your degree in character and in learning, so your character must be exuded on the road. You would learn the sociology of crowd control, psychology of crowd management, intelligence gathering, surveillance techniques, monitoring techniques, traffic control and administration and command.

    “You must eschew corruption because those of you who think you have come to enrich yourself in LASTMA would find your way easily out. We have zero tolerance for corruption, zero tolerance for indiscipline, and 100 per cent tolerance for fairness, friendliness and firmness. These are the things that would guide you in your 35 years in service.”

    LASTMA General ManagerBashir Braimah told the recruits that their foremost duty would be on the roads and not in the offices, saying: “We have 9100 roads, 2.2 million vehicles and 21 million Nigerians in Lagos. That means if you put one LASTMA official per road, we are not enough. For roads like Ikorodu Road, Agege Motor Road, Funsho Williams Avenue, Herbert Macaulay road and Murtala Muhammed Road, you cannot have only one official there; so, your coming on board makes LASTMA just about 3500 officials. The work of LASTMA is on the roads not in the offices. We have enough hands in the offices. We have four Area Controllers, 15 Area Commands, 40 Zonal Offices and nine special squads. That shows you the enormity of the responsibility you are coming to take. As of date, even with your inclusion, we are still few on ground. The roads are our laboratory, tarmac and work yard. This is a paramilitary organisation where discipline is the watchword. We would not take anything less.”

    The recruits, according to Olakpe, would resume camp next week where they would spend six weeks at the end of which they would have a Passing Out Parade and would be deployed.

     

  • Several injured as passenger bus somersaults in Lagos

    Several injured as passenger bus somersaults in Lagos

    No fewer than 10 people Friday sustained varying degrees of injury after a 22 seater Volkswagen LT35 bus sommersaulted in Lagos.

    The accident occurred at about 2pm by Berger bus stop, Oworonsoki, Third Mainland Bridge.

    Among the injured were the Chief Clerical Officer, Ministry of Justice, Mrs. Shasanya Banire who could not move nor speak.

    The Nation observed that about four of the victims were in severe pains and speechless as they held their chest, neck.

    It was gathered that the Ikeja bound bus tumbled after a saloon car with flat tyre swerved and hit the bus.

    The bus was said to have lost its balance as the driver attempted to avoid the saloon car.

    It was gathered that in the process the bus tumbled two times and almost plunged into the canal but for the iron bars barricading the lagoon.

    The accident led to heavy traffic buildup on the bridge as motorists parked their vehicles to watch and take photographs of the scene.

    It took the intervention of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) officials to clear the bridge so that a Lagos State Ambulance that came to pick up the injured could get to them.

    Narrating how the accident occurred, one of the victims who sustained injuries on his head and back blamed the driver of the saloon car for their misfortune.

    He said: “We were coming from CMS and going to Ikeja when all of a sudden; a woman driving a saloon car with a flat tyre wheeled her car and hit our bus.

    “The bus driver was trying to avoid her, yet the woman kept coming. As soon as she realised she has caused a serious problem she zoomed off.

    “She did not even wait. The bus somersaulted twice and it is just by the grace of God that no one died. So many people sustained injuries,” he said.

  • Protest as LASTMA officials kill tanker driver in Lagos

    Protest as LASTMA officials kill tanker driver in Lagos

    There was pandemonium along the Oshodi expressway, after some officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority  (LASTMA) killed a tanker driver identified as Salisu Sani, 30.
    The incident which occurred at about 6:20am at Sanya, halted traffic for almost eight hours on the busy road, as rampaging youths burnt tyres on the expressway.
    Chanting that they were tired of harassment from LASTMA, the youths comprising tanker drivers and Hausa Community rebuffed all entreaties from the Rapid Response Squad  (RRS), Festac Police Division and soldiers to leave the road.
    It was gathered that the driver of the Premium Motor Spirit  (PMS) laden tanker marked ABJ 758XD beside Port Terminal to observe his morning prayers when the LASTMA team numbering about four struck.
    The team comprising three officials in uniform and another wearing mufti accosted the motorboy who was praying on the culvert and asked him where his driver was.
    According to the motorboy, Nurudeen Abdulahi, he showed them where his driver was and one of them went and met him.
    “They were arguing. I think it was about money. As the driver and one of the LASTMA men were arguing, another one entered the trailer and was driving it off.
    “The driver rushed down and asked the man why he was driving his tanker. He told the man that his tanker was on the service lane and that if he wanted to arrest him, he should have told him to come and drive his vehicle to wherever they wanted to take him.
    “The man did not listen. He was still driving the tanker and so the driver ran and was climbing the vehicle through the passenger side.
    “By this time, two of the LASTMA people have returned into their vehicle and they had driven off.
    “So, as the driver mounted the trailer from the passenger side, the LASTMA man who was on the ground dragged his clothe, pulling him to the ground.
    “As soon as he fell, the LASTMA vehicle that went to turn, crushed him on the head. As soon as the one on the ground saw that they have crushed him, he told the man on the steering that he was dead and they both entered the vehicle and all of them escaped, without parking the tanker well. I was the one who applied the hand brakes before taking my driver to the hospital.
    “There was only one tanker behind me. I saw what happened from where I said my prayers and when I rushed to the scene, my driver was bleeding from his head.
    “I called a tri-cyclist and begged him to assist me. We took the driver to a private hospital but the doctor there said we should take him to general hospital. By the time we got to general hospital, the doctor said he was dead,” said Abdulahi.
    Continuing, Abdulahi who said the driver was his Kaduna state brother, told The Nation that the deceased was married with three children.
    While some eyewitnesses corroborated the motorboy’s claim, others said it was the LASTMA official inside the trailer that pushed the deceased after hitting him on the neck with a gun.
    One Chike Uwadi who said he was on his way to work, told The Nation that he saw the LASTMA official pushed the deceased from the passenger side of the trailer.
    “I saw the guy climbing the vehicle from the passenger side and then the LASTMA official pushed him. The man fell and the truck ran over him. The other LASTMA man on the ground told his colleague that the man was dead and they fled,” he said.
    An unnamed man claimed that the official after pushing the deceased, used his trailer to crush him, describing his action as ‘deliberate’ murder.

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  • Thugs attack LASTMA officials

    Thugs attack LASTMA officials

    Thugs yesterday attacked some Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) officials at Ojodu-Berger in Lagos.

    It was gathered that the officials were trying to tow a fallen container when the thugs attacked them. An officer identified as Adedeji Hassan was injured on the head.

    A source said the container fell on the other side of the road 11 days ago, adding: “As the officials tried to tow the container, a thug who was said to be securing the container called other thugs on phone and in few minutes, they were up to 20 in number. They insisted the officials were not going to tow the container claiming it did not fall in Lagos but in Ogun State.

    “One of the thugs used an iron rod to hit an official on head; he was immediately rushed to a trauma centre.”

    It was also gathered that one of the thugs has been detained at the Lagos Task Force cell.

    The source added, “When the thug was searched, machete, knives and iron rod were found on him. The officials were attacked around 3.30am. Efforts to take the container off the road are still ongoing.”

  • LASTMA gets community relations committee

    LASTMA gets community relations committee

    Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has launched a Community Relations Committee (CRC).

    A statement from LASTMA Public Relations Officer Mamud Hassan said the CRC would boost cooperation between the traffic officers and the public.

    Speaking at the Oshodi Headquarters of the agency, Lagos State Ministry of Transportation Permanent Secretary Mr Olusheyi Whenu said the committee would usher in a new dawn in traffic management.

    According to him, the process of controlling, apprehending traffic offenders and booking would be technologically based and driven for maximum social economic development of the state.

    With the committee’s coming, there will be better collaboration and synergy between traffic officers and the community they serve in solving traffic problems, the permanent secretary said.

    He said, henceforth, traffic officers would be more polite, civil and humane, but firm in the enforcement of traffic law.

    Whenu said the government has demonstrated that seamless traffic is on the front burner of its social economic development agenda.

    He said all hands must be on deck to ensure free traffic flow and solicited for more public support for LASTMA to discharge its statutory responsibility.

    “We are migrating from the old method of apprehending traffic offenders to the new one of booking traffic offenders. Motorists should team up with LASTMA to maintain sanity on roads in order for government to achieve its lofty goals for the people of the state,” he said.

    LASTMA Chief Executive Officer, Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Chris Olakpe (rtd) said the committee would eliminate distrust between LASTMA officials and the public.

    According to him, LASTMA would evolve a robust programme and partnership with communities and also put in place a formidable platform to sustain good relationship with the public.

    Olakpe said the committee is essential to solving traffic problems and abridging the gap between LASTMA and the public.

    He called for voluntarily compliance with traffic law by motorists, adding that traffic officers should also respect motorists’ rights in traffic law enforcement.