Lagos Police Taskforce: Uniformed Operatives on Black Maria Not Our Officers- CSP Olayinka Egbeyemi
By Emmanuel Udom
The attention of the Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit (Taskforce) has been drawn to a viral video being circulated on social media where uniformed men were with the Agency’s black maria.
Adebayo Taofiq, head public affairs unit, Lagos State Task Force, in a statement said the uniformed men on the viral video were not operatives of the agency as none of them had on any jacket with an inscription ‘Lagos State Task Force’ which is our official outfit during any enforcement operations.
It must also be noted that those uniformed men in the said viral video only used the Agency’s blackmaria to convey arrested miscreants and hoodlums to court as directed by the Lagos State Police Command.
The Lagos police taskforce therefore, enjoined members of the public not to attach the said viral video to any activities of the Agency, saying it is however undeterred and highly committed to ridden the State of all criminal elements.
It could be recalled that the taskforce has warned motorists contravening the Lagos State Transport Reformed Law of 2018 to desist forthwith or face the wrath of the Law.
CSP Egbeyemi, who gave the warning on Monday, asserted that the enforcement unit and other relevant Agencies are determined to enforce the Law on recalcitrant motorists who contravene any section.
In his words, “All motorists, including private car owners, are hereby warned to henceforth desist from all forms of traffic obstructions, driving against traffic (one-way) and plying on BRT corridors”.
“It is disheartening to observe that commercial bus drivers and private car owners are in the habit of disobeying all road signs and signals in contravention to the traffic law thereby causing an impediment to free vehicular traffic across the State”, he added.
While declaring that the Enforcement Unit of the Agency would arrest any motorist caught disobeying the traffic law, Egbeyemi also cautioned commercial tricycle and motorcyclists operators to stop plying restricted routes as anyone caught would be penalised in accordance with the stipulated Law.
The Chairman, however, enjoined the general public to be law-abiding and report any noticeable security breach around them via Lagos State Toll – free lines 112 or 767.