ONE-WAY TRAFFIC: Lagos Mobile Court Order Confiscation Of 31 Vehicles For Traffic Violations

A Lagos State Mobile Court has ordered the confiscation of 31 vehicles for contravening the State Traffic Law after the defendants (drivers) pleaded guilty to ‘one-way’ traffic offence charge.

According to the Mobile Court, “These arraigned 31 drivers were charged for driving in the direction prohibited by Law (one-way) punishable under Part (III) item 27 of the ‘Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law of 2018 and have been penalised accordingly”.

The Court also directed 43 motorists, arraigned for plying the BRT corridors and causing road obstruction to pay fines to the government in accordance with the Law and severity of their offence.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Lagos State Environment and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit (Taskforce), CSP Olayinka Egbeyemi confirmed that out of 160 arraigned traffic offenders, including those apprehended for driving against traffic (one-way), only 74 had so far appeared before the court.

While urging the remaining 86 others who are yet to appear before the Court to do so immediately, the Chairman said the Agency acted in response to a series of complaints from members of the public, particularly motorists, that activities of ‘one-way’ drivers were causing traffic gridlock on daily basis since the #EndSARS protests across the State.

According to Egbeyemi “It is worrisome that with a high level of enlightenment campaigns and several warnings by the State government, motorists, including private car owners, are still driving against traffic knowing fully well that the penalty for such offense is outright forfeiture of the said vehicle to the Government”.