The Lagos State Police Command has given vehicle owners seven days ultimatum to adhere to the Traffic laws.
Theis ultimatum was given by DSP Bala Elkana, Lagos State Police Police Public Relations, in a press statement sent to Politicsnigeria on Sunday.
According to Elkana, the force will clampdown on users of unregistered vehicles, vehicles without plate numbers, vehicles with covered, defaced or fake plate numbers, Escorts vehicles without plate numbers, and illegal plate numbers showing names, unregistered titles or positions.
According to the statement, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Hakeem Odumosu has set up a Special Operations to clamp down on violators of traffic laws and to embark on massive enforcement at the expiration of the seven days ultimatum.
He added that the ultimatum starts tomorrow from 6th January 2020 and elapse by 11.59 pm on 12th January 2020, and the massive clampdown begins on 13th January 2020 until sanity is restored to the roads.
Read the full statement below
Police to clampdown on users of unregistered vehicles, vehicles without plate numbers, vehicles with covered, defaced or fake plate numbers, Escorts vehicles without plate numbers and illegal plate numbers showing names, titles, or positions….Violators are given seven days ultimatum to comply with the provisions of the law or face enforcement.
Lagos State Police Command has issued seven days ultimatum to owners and operators of unregistered vehicles in Lagos State to register their vehicles or face the full weight of the law. Also affected are vehicles with covered or defaced plate numbers, vehicles with fake plate numbers, and vehicles without plate numbers.
Users of plate numbers with special inscriptions like ‘Chief’ ‘Chairman’ ‘Ambassador’ ‘Baale’ ‘Iya loja’ ‘Sarki’ or bearing personal name among others are required by law to register such customize plate numbers. Escorts vehicles and bullion vans must also be registered. It is not enough to inscribe just the word ‘Escort’ or ‘Pilot ‘ as it is not sufficient enough to track such a vehicle. Vehicles displayed for sale in various car stand must have the dealer’s sticker conspicuously pasted for easy identification.
The Commissioner of Police Lagos State, CP Hakeem Odumosu psc has set up a Special Operations to clamp down on violators of traffic laws and to embark on massive enforcement at the expiration of the seven days ultimatum. The ultimatum will start on 6th January 2020 and elapse by 11.59 pm on 12th January 2020. The massive clampdown begins on 13th January 2020 until sanity is restored to our roads.
This enforcement becomes necessary considering the fact that criminal elements in the recent past have device a means of operating with such vehicles to attack unsuspecting members of the public without any trace. A recent example was a case that occurred at Allen Avenue, Ikeja, where an operator of bureau de change was attacked, robbed, and murdered by a criminal gang that used an unregistered vehicle, making it difficult for detectives to track the vehicle.
For the avoidance of doubt, Section 4(1) of the Road Traffic Act, Cap 548 prohibited the use of unregistered, unlicensed, and unmarked vehicles. Any person who forges or fraudulently defaces, alters, mutilates, or adds anything to a license or identification mark or uses on one vehicle a license or identification mark belonging to another vehicle is guilty of an offense under Section 32 of the Act. See also the provisions of Lagos State Traffic Law for various offences.
Traffic violators will instantly be arraigned before Lagos State Special Offences Mobile Court.
2. Enforcement of the State of Emergency Declared by CP Odumosu on Traffic Management and Control: Police Arraigned 75 Traffic Violators in Mobile Court and Impounded 75 Vehicles for driving against traffic and indiscriminate parking.
Lagos State Police Command has over the last few weeks arrested 75 persons and Impounded 75 vehicles for driving against traffic, also known as one way and indiscriminate parking in different parts of the State. 28 of the Offenders were arrested for driving against traffic while the rest were arrested for indiscriminate parking at different clubs and businesses in the State. Such indiscriminate parking results in major obstructions on the highways and streets and causing traffic gridlock. In as much as such clubs and businesses have the rights to run their businesses, our road users equally have the right to free flow of traffic. Business owners and operators of clubs and worship centers have a duty to ensure that their customers, staff, visitors, and followers do no create obstructions on the roads where they operate for the benefits of other road users. The vehicles Impounded included private cars, commercial vehicles, trucks, bullion vans, and escorts vehicles who drove against traffic. The message is clear, no one is above the law. The Commissioner of Police Lagos State, CP Hakeem Odumosu psc maintained that the operation will be sustained and called on road users to obey traffic laws at all times.
Police Public Relations Officer,
Lagos State.
