The Governor also ordered
the State Attorney General and the Ministry of Justice to immediately increase
the number of Mobile Courts in the State to twenty to summarily prosecute
traffic offenders to serve as deterrent to others who might want to indulge in
the violation of traffic laws.
Ambode was speaking to
reporters after a strategic session with LASTMA leadership and heads of other
security agencies in the state to address the traffic situation and the
unfortunate killing of a LASTMA officer last week.
Governor Ambode said the
state government will not fold its arms and allow the violation of the laws,
hence the decision to order enforcement of the laws with immediate effect.
“For Lagosians, it is very
clear that government will not continue to fold their arms and allow our
officers to continue to be in areas of danger. First, I will appeal to all of
you that we must obey traffic laws. Secondly, we cannot turn this state into a
state of lawlessness. So, from this moment onward, all our security agencies
and also all the officers that are concerned have been directed to discipline
any traffic offender that is arrested.
“Government will go down
and deal squarely with any traffic offender from this moment onward. We cannot
allow people to continue to commit offences for which we need to discipline
for. We don’t want people to take advantage and say this is Christmas or
election period, we have majority of our people to protect and we have the
majority of our people to also make sure that they use the roads safely. So, we
will not allow traffic offenders to go scot-free anymore,” Governor Ambode
said.
The Governor added that
aside the Mobile Courts, Police officers have also been increased to patrol the
nooks and crannies of the State to ensure security and free-flow of traffic.
While commiserating with
LASTMA over the killing of one of its officers, Rotimi Adeyemo, Governor Ambode
said the incident was one too many, revealing that a total of eighteen officers
were lost to such unfortunate situation, and twenty-four permanently
incapacitated in various hospitals in the last one year.
Adeyemo was shot by a SARS
officer Olukunle Olonade following an argument.
The argument had begun
after Olonade drove against traffic and Adeyemo confronted him. A short while
after, Olonade proceeded to his car where from he fetched his gun and shot
Adeyemo to death.
Afterwards, Olonade was
lynched by a mob in the area.
Governor Ambode also
announced the approval of N10million compensation to the family of the deceased
officer.
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