Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode has directed the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice to increase the number of Mobile Courts to twenty to fast-track the prosecution of traffic offenders.
Governor Ambode who gave the directive when he paid a condolence visit to the Management and staff of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, at Oshodi over the death of an officer who was killed by a Policeman at Iyana Ipaja area of the State ordered that those who violate traffic rules and regulations should be tried at the point of offence without an option of fine.
Last week, the late LASTMA Officer, Mr Rotimi Adeyemo was reportedly killed by a Police officer attached to the Special Anti Robbery Squad, SARS who was stopped for contravening traffic rules.
Briefing newsmen after a meeting held behind closed doors with the LASTMA leadership and the heads of other traffic and security agencies in the State, Governor Ambode who described the incident as one too many revealed that between January and December, this year, eighteen LASTMA officials have been killed, while twenty-four others have been rendered handicapped during the discharge of their duties.
Assuring LASTMA and security agents of Government’s backing, Mr Ambode pointed out that the family of the late LASTMA official would be paid the ten million naira insurance policy bought for all serving security and allied agencies by the State Government.
“We have not been churning out this data just because we believe Lagosians will understand that these men and women that we put on the line of duty are harmless and they don’t have anything to protect them than just traffic laws which they are enforcing. This is a sober moment for us but again I need to encourage and further appeal to all our law enforcement officers, most especially LASTMA officers that this government is with them and we would do everything to protect their lives and also create an atmosphere to allow them to do their work properly,” Governor Ambode said.
