LAGOS STATE GOVERNMENT DEFENDS ENFORCEMENT

Lagos State Government has defended the enforcement method of its Special Offences
Task Force which favors the removal of number plates of erring vehicles over clamping
down and towing of vehicles. In a statement jointly issued by the state’s Attorney
General and Commissioner for Justice, Adeniji Kazeem and the Commissioner for
Information and Strategy, Steve Ayorinde today July 25th, the state government says
the new method being adopted by the state Task Force particularly for illegal parking of
vehicles or obstruction of traffic simply involves capturing the offence on video,
removing the number-plate of the erring vehicles and putting a branded sticker on the
windshield of the car to inform the owner/driver of such cars about their offence and
invitation for trial at the Special Offences Mobile Court which may sitting at any
proximate local Government office or at the Special Task office at Alausa in Ikeja. It
added that the Task Force is authorized under the Lagos State Road Traffic Law of
2012 as well as the Special Offences Court established by the Special Offences Court
Law Cap S8 Laws of Lagos State 2015.
“The technique that has been adopted by the Task Force is in line with International Best
Practices which prefers issuance of tickets to erring offenders over clamp downs or
towing of vehicles that do not only cost both the government and erring drivers money
but also clogs public spaces where such vehicles would have been kept,” the statement
said. It added that once the offender honours the invitation for trial, where a magistrate
presides over the proceedings, the offender is usually presented with a video evidence
of the offence before he or she is charged.
A fine or a community service is then imposed if the offender pleads guilty. But if the
offender chooses to put up a defence and is without a defence counsel, he or she will
be entitled to the services of a lawyer from the Office of the Public Defender at no
cost. The statement stresses that the essence of this exercise is not to engage in
unwholesome revenue drive as being erroneously peddled in certain quarters but to
deter violations of the traffic laws “which is why community service is often preferred for
the offenders so that they can become advocates of the laws which seek to bring
sanity to Lagos State roads and instill a sense of responsibility in drivers and car
owners, particularly the elites who think they are above the law.”
The statement said while the State government would not relent in its vaunted method
of adequately sensitizing the public before embarking on enforcements, it added that
ignorance is not an excuse in law and perceived inadequacies in car park provisions by
frequently used establishments like banks, malls and eateries does not give car owners
an excuse to park on the kerb or main roads thereby obstructing traffic. For the
avoidance of doubt, the statement said parking on the kerb or walkways or outside the
premises where the driver has come to transact business in a manner that either
obstructs traffic or constitutes illegal use of public space is a violation of the law and
could attract a fine of Twenty thousand Naira (N20, 000) or a community service after a
documentary evidence has been presented to the offender. According to the statement,
"Section One of the Special Offences Court Law Cap S8 Laws of Lagos State 2015
stipulates that the Court could sit at any convenient place close to the scene of the
commission of any offence triable by the court. Section Two of the same law allows
the Court to sit on Mondays to Saturday, whilst Section 3(1) same law states that the
Court has jurisdiction over offences listed in Schedule 1 to this Law.
"A cursory look at the offences listed in the said Schedule 1, reveals that Road Traffic
Offences as contained in the Lagos State Road Traffic Law Cap R5, Laws of Lagos
State 2015 and Environmental Offences as provided for in the Schedule to the
Environmental Sanitation Enforcement Agency Law, Cap E5, Laws of Lagos State 2015
are under the jurisdiction of the Mobile Courts.” The state government explained that "it
should be noted that most banks make provision for parking within their premises or
designated car parks outside their premises where customers are expected to make
use of same and not to cause obstruction to human or vehicular movement. "There is
no way a responsible and responsive government would sit idly by and watch citizens
groan under the hardship of road congestion caused by infractions of a few recalcitrant
drivers or those who simply think that they can blackmail the government into
submission while being economical with the truth whenever government wields the big
stick against such infractions.
“Parking on the road while using the ATM is a clear traffic transgression that is similar
to parking on the yellow lines abroad. We wish to implore our law-abiding citizens to
desist from such conducts that run foul of the law and which invariably attracts
consequences and discomfort once the law is enforced.” The Statement added that the
Akinwunmi Ambode-led administration appreciates the exponential growth that the state
is currently facing, particularly in the area of traffic which is why the government has
been introducing several pro-people measures like the massive injection of the Bus
Rapid Transport in order to manage the situation better.
It added that while it may take a while to get used to the number-plate removal
technique of the Task Force, just like it did when compulsory use of seat belts was
introduced or when commercial motorcycles and street hawking were banned on the
highways, it says the government is happy th