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…as Taskforce declares war on “One Chance” gangs, urchins
Funsho Akanbi
As reactions continue to trail the impoundment and forfeiture of vehicles for driving against the traffic, the Lagos State government today auctioned another set of vehicles numbering about 83.
The public auction of the 83 forfeited vehicles were on the orders of the Lagos State Special Offences Mobile Court for violations of the Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law 2018.The auctioned vehicles were earlier impounded in different areas of the state.
TheStory exercise was supervised by the Lagos State Ministry of Justice, in collaboration with the State Taskforce on Environmental and Special Offences Unit.
This was even as the Chairman of the Taskforce, CSP Shola Jejeloye insisted that the continued auctioning of the erring vehicles wasn’t meant for revenue generation but to discourage lawlessness and possible loss of lives resulting from activities of ‘one-way’ and ‘hit and run’ drivers.
The auction was held at the premises of the State Taskforce in Alausa, Ikeja in accordance with the forfeiture order of the Court, had the Chairman of the State Taskforce, the Coordinator of the State Special Offences Mobile Court, and representatives of the Ministry of Justice present at the well organised and transparent public auction, attended by a large number of residents.
Speaking on the exercise, Jejeloye said there was a need for motorists to have a change of mind by desisting themselves from driving against traffic. He added that the agency has the mandate of the state Commissioner of Police to go against offenders. He advised motorists to be patient while driving on Lagos roads, saying there was a need for attitudinal change of both the drivers and their passengers.
“There won’t be any need for impoundment of vehicles let alone auctioning them, if we can all be law abiding. People must learn to leave their home for their destination on time instead or resulting into driving against the traffic,” Jejeloye said.
The Taskforce boss added that the auction exercise was not meant to punish but to correct.
“I do not see what we have come to do today as an auction but as a correction and detterent for some Lagosians. The Lagos Commissioner of Police has instructed us to go out there as policemen and do our best to ensure the free flow of traffic,” he said.
Jejeloye added that the agency would also go after the ‘one chance’ robbers who are also in the habit of driving against the traffic to escape from crime scene.
On the legality of the auctioned vehicles, the Coordinator of Lagos State Special Offences Mobile Court, Mrs Arinola Ogbara said, “there is a lot of process and transparency to the public auction. Moreover, some of the people whose cars were seized have been told to pay a fine without their cars being forfeited based on the strength of evidence they presented at the Mobile Court. Driving against traffic (one way) has caused a huge number of accidents and untold losses to property and human lives.”
According to her, observers have agreed that it is necessary to sanitise the state of reckless drivers who break the law with impunity.
The auction exercise was conducted by a licensed auctioneer, Mr Ade Onanuga, of CR Limited Auction House.
