Mrs Arinola Ogbara-Banjoko, the Coordinator, Lagos State Special Offences (Mobile Court) , says that the court prosecuted 1,120 traffic offenders in 2021.
Ogbara-Banjoko stated this while speaking with newsmen on Thursday during the 3rd Mobile Court Quarterly Sensitisation and Awareness Exercise Zero Tolerance for Violation of Traffic Offences.
She said that of the prosecutions carried out by the mobile court in 2021, ”obstruction” and driving on ”One Way” were the common offences committed by motorists.
”In line with the T.H.E.M.E.S. Agenda of the present administration and in fulfilling the promise of traffic management and transportation, the Mobile Court has deemed it necessary to sensitise members of the public on zero tolerance for violation of traffic offences.
”Such offences include driving in a direction prohibited by law (also known as One-Way), driving on the designated BRT corridor and obstruction of vehicular traffic on the highway, among others.
”These offences are strict liability offences and are punishable under the Transport Sector Law of Lagos State 2018.
”In view of the foregoing, we, therefore, warn members of the public, particularly road users, to desist from violating traffic laws,” the coordinator said.
She called on road users to partner with the state government toward ensuring the preservation of lives and property, as well as ensuring the free flow of traffic movements on the highways.
According to her, the sensitisation embarked on will go a long way toward eradicating the traffic offences on the roads.
She said that in executing its duties, the Lagos State Special Offences (Mobile Court) used to wear human face to attend to the plea and complaint of defendants, as not seeing any signpost to indicate a road as ‘one way’.
Ogbara-Banjoko said that in such situations, the court would embark on fact-finding, and if authenticated that there was no sign, or maybe a construction was going on, the defendants were usually released, cautioned and discharged.
”Commercial vehicles are the ones that really commit more of the offences, no matter how much you sensitise them, so we are going to their leaders to help us and the state to eradicate all these various offences.
”So we are going to Ikeja, we will touch Agege, we will touch Oshodi and so many other places on our way,” he said. (NAN)
