Arrested Fake LASTMA Official Says He Makes N40,000 Daily, Motorists Cry Out Over High-Handedness
- Lagos State Traffic Management Authority has arrested a fake official of the agency in the state
- According to the agency, David Oluchukwu was appreshended in the Lekki area of of the state
- Commercial bus drivers in the state have decried the high-handedness of LASTMA officials in the state
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The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) said on Thursday, December 15, 2022 that it has arrested a fake LASTMA official, David Oluchukwu in the Lekki area of Lagos.
Taofiq Adebayo, LASTMA’s Public Affairs Departmant, the agency’s General Manager, Bolaji Oreagba, said that the Oluckuwu was arresed by a patrol team monitoring and controlling traffic around the Lekki arear.
Source: UGC
Suspect belongs to extortion gang
The Punch quotes Adebayo as saying that early investigations show that the suspect belongs to a criminal gang extorting huge sums from innocent motorists caught for various offences such as seat belt violations, obstructions, illegal overtaking and one way traffic offence.
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Oluchkwu was arrested after he was seen by the patrol team fully kitted in the LASTMA uniform with a black jeans, extorting money from various commercial bus dirbers for illegally dropping off or picking up passengers under the Lekki Bridge.
Adebayo decried the infiltration of the agency by unscrupulous people impersonating LASTMA personnel and exorting money from road users and destroying the agency’s image.
Oreagba asked road users to be wary of fake officials extorting money from them, saying that LASTMA operates a cashless policy as violators are always charged with referal notice.
The suspect 27-year-old Oluchukwu allegedly confessed to the crime and said he makes about about N40,000 daily from his illegal traffic business.
Make N40,000 daily for various offences
Oluchukwu said:
“Any motorist I caught driving against traffic (one-way) paid a minimum of N50,000, while other traffic violators were charged with different fines,” he said in the statement.
Commercial bus drivers cry out over LASTMA extortions
The development comes as many motorists in Lagos have lamented the high-handedness of the agency.
According to them, LASTMA officials see them as cash cows and arrest them at whim.
Adewale Ojodu, a commercial bus driver plying the Ogba-Opebi axis told Legit.ng that at certain times of the day, the commercial drivers would refuse to operate due to the extortions LASTMA officials subject them to.
Ojodu said
“It is worse on Fridays and this yuletide season. You will see hoardes of LASTMA officials in cluster in a particular location waiting to catch us and charge us for non-existent violations.
They will take us to a location where we are made to part with money ranging N5,000 to N50,000.
Reacting to the arrest of the fake official, Ojodu said there are many of such on the roads masquerading as officials of the agency.
He said the most troubling thing about the extortion is that the officials do it brazenly without fear of repercussions.
Bus conductor rejects new N1,000 naira notes from passenger, video goes viral
Legit.ng reported that a video showing a bus operator in Lagos rejecting the newly redesigned N1000 note from a female passenger has gone viral.
On Thursday, December 15, 2022, the lady boarded a commercial bus to work and paid the conductor with the new note, but he refused to accept it.
The conductor, fearful of being duped, stated that he cannot collect the money since he is unfamiliar with it.
Source: Legit.ng
