MICHAEL AKINOLA
So much was scooped from a 27-year old fake Lagos State Traffic Management Agency, LASTMA, David Oluchukwu, who confessed that he was actually making over N1m monthly through extortion from motorists across the state.
The Anambra State-born Oluchukwu explained that he set for himself a target of N40, 000 daily and when added together, it actually exceeded the amount of money he claimed that he was making in a month.
He explained that making the money was easy because the motorists were cooperating because it was cheaper for them to settle than taking them to LASTMA office, where they usually pay huge sums of money as penalty.
LASTMA operatives on Wednesday, 14th December, 2022, arrested Oluchukwu around the Lekki area of Lagos with the agency’s uniform and detained him for interrogation over his conduct.
The Director, Public Affairs Department of LASTMA, Mr. Adebayo Taofiq, stated that the General Manager, Mr. Bolaji Oreagba, confirmed that the suspect was nabbed by a LASTMA Patrol Team while on duty monitoring and controlling traffic around the Lekki axis.
“Preliminary investigations conducted by the Agency revealed that the arrested suspect belonged to a criminal gang and they had been extorting huge sums of money from innocent motorists apprehended for various traffic offences ranging from not using seat-belt, obstructions, illegal over-taking and driving against traffic at different locations across the State.”
Oreagba stated: “The suspect was apprehended after our patrol team sighted him fully kitted with a LASTMA uniform on a black jean 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.”
Oreagba urged motorists to be wary of fake officers demanding money from them stating that the Agency operates a cashless policy as any violators apprehended are charged to Court with a ‘Referral Notice’.
He however, warned those impersonators to desist from such illegal acts as more surveillance personnel have been deployed to strategic locations to hunt for those extorting innocent motorists under the pretext of the Agency.
He stated that the suspect confessed to having been impersonating as a LASTMA official and extorting money from different motorists particularly commercial bus drivers apprehended for violating traffic laws across the State.
Oluchukwu said: “Any motorists I caught driving against traffic (One-way) paid a minimum of N50,000 while other traffic violators were charged with different fines,” he confessed.
The suspect with no any fixed address however, appealed to the government to temper justice with mercy.
Meanwhile, the Director, Legal Department (LASTMA) Barr. Akerele Kehinde, disclosed that the arrested suspect would be charged under the Criminal Code Law of Lagos State.