New Telegraph 
Lagos State government yesterday vowed to continue to enforce its traffic laws to maintain sanity on roads and save lives. The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, said in a statement that the state Environment and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit (Task Force) would keep enhancing the enforcement of the Lagos Traffic Law 2018 with which it had been checking the excesses of commercial motorcyclists and others driving against oncoming traffic and ply restricted routes. He said: “The action is to halt the resurgence of impunity and violation of traffic regulations.
“Amid the enforcement, which began on Tuesday, commercial motorcyclists have taken laws into their hands and attacked the Task Force team, injuring officers carrying out their lawful duties. The perpetrators of this violence will be identified and made to face the law.
“However, the officers were undeterred by the criminal activities of the motorcyclists; 131 motorcycles were seized; 15 riders arrested and prosecuted; and 150 vehicles impounded in various areas of the state.”
Omotoso added that the task force subsequently arraigned and prosecuted 35 drivers of impounded vehicles, who had to forfeit their cars to the state for driving against oncoming traffic; 62 drivers who plied the BRT Corridor were fined N70,000 each; and 28 tricycle owners were also arraigned in court. He said: “The task force was again attacked in Ikeja, on Wednesday. It retreated to avoid an escalation of the crisis.
The team, however, mobilised more personnel to quell the riots started by the riders. “Traffic enforcement agencies will continue to assert their authority. They have been directed to arraign and prosecute all violators to ensure that penalties are apportioned in consonance with the law.”
