LASTMA Bans Junior Officers From Arresting Motorists

The Lagos State Government has banned junior officers of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA from arresting vehicles on Lagos roads, Southwest Nigeria.
This decision was taken to check overzealousness in the enforcement of the state’s traffic laws.
Speaking at a public forum on the new Lagos Traffic Law organised by the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), General Manager, LASTMA, Engr. Babatunde Edu said the measure was taken to respond to the complaints of aggressive law enforcement by junior officers.
He appealed to the public to report any junior officer who victimised or harassed them, saying they had been stripped of the power to arrest.
While urging members of the public not to take laws into their hands when unlawfully arrested, Edu said the officers are to render assistance to motorists in ensuring that traffic laws are voluntarily complied with.
He also charged members of the public to take note of the names of such officer, insisting that junior officers have been warned not to arrest again following the complaints of aggressive enforcement.
According to him,”You can easily identify them. Anywhere you find a junior officer with black epaulet on their shoulders, they cannot arrest, only the senior ones with red epaulet on their uniforms can arrest. We have stopped the junior officers from arresting motorists except during a joint operation.
“That is the extent we have gone in checkmating aggressive enforcement of the law.”
He revealed that the state government is spending huge resources on continuous training of the officers on non-aggressive measure of dealing with motorists.
Responding to complaints of unlawful seizure of broken down vehicles on the road, even when the driver is making frantic efforts to evacuate the faulty vehicle, Edu said LASTMA officers are expected to assist such driver.
“We have trained these men to be fair with motorists. They are not to harass or victimise on the road. If they do otherwise, please do not fight them, just take note of their names and report them. You don’t enforce law by breaking it.
“What I’m saying here may be totally different from what obtains on the roads, please I urge you to report them.Every officer has a name on the uniform. However, our roads must not also be turned into a mechanic workshop where you will decide to repair your car. You have to evacuate the faulty car from the road so as no to disturb other road users,” he stated.
Edu called for the cooperation of everyone in ensuring free flow of traffic, saying that LASTMA had removed several abandoned vehicles from roads to allow free flow of traffic.
“ We are training traffic officers at various councils and our men are also embarking on community development initiatives. LASTMA officers are parts of our society who are doing their best to ensure everyone has free access to the roads.”