A fake traffic officer dressed in the organization’s outfit was apprehended by agents of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) on Thursday in the Lekki neighbourhood of Lagos.
In a statement released on Thursday in Lagos by the Director of LASTMA’s Public Affairs Department, Mr. Adebayo Taofiq, the organization’s General Manager, Mr. Bolaji Oreagba, confirmed the arrest.
Oreagba claimed the arrest occurred on Wednesday at the Lekki area while the agency’s operational team was supervising and managing traffic along the axis.
According to him, the agency’s preliminary investigations showed that the suspect belonged to a group that had been extorting large quantities of money from law-abiding motorists.
Oreagba claimed that the fictitious traffic cop and his gang had detained some Lagos citizens for a variety of traffic offences in various places.
He claimed that the patrol team saw the suspect fully dressed in a LASTMA outfit wearing a pair of black jeans and was able to detain him.
“He was collecting money from different commercial bus drivers who were illegally dropping and picking passengers under the Lekki Bridge.
“It is disheartening for some unscrupulous elements impersonating as LASTMA officials and extorting money from innocent motorists thereby denting the good image of the agency before the public,” he said.
Oreagba advised drivers to be cautious of phoney police who approach them and demand payment, claiming that the agency has a cashless policy.
Any violation who was captured, according to him, was given a “Referral Notice” and charged in court.
He issued a warning to the imposters to stop their criminal activity since more surveillance officers had been stationed in key areas to look for those abducting unwitting motorists.
According to the statement, the suspect admitted to pretending to be a LASTMA official and extorting cash from various drivers, mainly commercial bus drivers.
He allegedly admitted to earning an additional N40,000 per day on average from the illicit traffic operation.
According to Mr. Kehinde Akerele, Director of LASTMA’s Legal Department, the suspect will be charged in court in compliance with Lagos State’s Criminal Code Law.
