37 traffic offenders sentenced to 100-hour community service in Lagos

• All 4,477 impounded motorcycles to be crushed soon, task force boss vows
The Special Offences (Mobile) Court, in Oshodi Lagos State, yesterday sentenced 37 traffic offenders to 100 hours community service. The state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Moyosore Onigbanjo, led the prosecution of the traffic offenders in court.

The Attorney-General, during the proceedings for written address, urged the court’s presiding magistrate, Omobola Salawu, to convict the defendants as charged. He added that the 37 offenders were charged with offences of driving against traffic, illegal driving on BRT corridor and illegal plying of highway with motorcycles, which are likely to endanger the lives of road users and were punishable under section 66 (b) of Lagos State Transport Law, 2012.

Magistrate Salawu admitted them to 100 hours community service and fines of N15,000 and 20,000 varying from the offence committed. The magistrate advised road users to be patient until government fixed the roads.

While addressing newsmen, Onigbanjo stated that the state would continue to prosecute traffic offenders until sanity was restored back on Lagos roads and law-abiding citizens allowed to enjoy the roads without being assaulted by defaulters. Onigbanjo further said that many convictions had been handed out and that vehicles of some of the offenders had been forfeited.

Also, the chairman, Lagos Taskforce, CSP Olayinka Egbeyemi, disclosed that about 4,477 motorcycles and 18 vehicles had been impounded in the last five months for traffic offences. He said the task force would continue to apprehend offenders of the traffic rules and regulations.

Egbeyemi said some of the motorcycles were retrieved by their owners after receiving penalties while the rest were still within the premises of the task force’s office located in Oshodi. He said after six months, a court order would be sought and the unclaimed motorcycles destroyed by the state government to serve as a deterrent to others.