The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) impounded 84 commercial and private vehicles during a weekend enforcement operation across traffic flashpoints including Idumota, Iddo, Ijora-Olopa, Costain and Onipanu, the agency said.
The agency said the operation targeted persistent violations that have disrupted traffic flow on major corridors, including one-way driving, commercial buses reversing dangerously and the use of under-bridge spaces as illegal garages. The exercise formed part of efforts to restore order and ensure compliance with Lagos State traffic regulations.
LASTMA General Manager Olalekan Bakare-Oki raised particular concern about commercial buses reversing against traffic on the one-way stretch from Iddo to Idumota through Cater Bridge. He warned that such actions endanger motorists, commuters and pedestrians because approaching road users may have “little or no forewarning” of a vehicle moving against the prescribed direction.
“Motorists and other legitimate road users approaching the bridge may have little or no forewarning that a commercial vehicle is unlawfully reversing against the prescribed direction of traffic, thereby creating an extremely hazardous situation with the potential to precipitate devastating collisions, injuries and fatalities,”
The enforcement reportedly met resistance. LASTMA said some personnel were assaulted and injured while carrying out the operation and that operations vehicles were damaged; some of those alleged to have attacked officers were apprehended, the agency added.
Bakare-Oki reiterated LASTMA’s long-standing warning to transport operators and commercial bus drivers against occupying under-bridge spaces, road setbacks and other unauthorised locations as illegal garages, saying such practices impede effective traffic management and pose risks to public safety.
LASTMA said it will sustain the campaign to deter dangerous driving practices and protect lives and property, cautioning that further violations will attract enforcement in accordance with Lagos State traffic laws. The agency urged the public to report dangerous driving, traffic obstructions and other offences through its toll-free short code, 3367, to enable prompt intervention.
Reports of the operation and the agency’s statements were published by Vanguard and Daily Post.
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