2022: Lagos seizes 18,537 motorcycles, impounds 8,642 vehicles 

Chairman of the Lagos State Environment and Special Offences Enforcement Unit (Task Force), Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), Shola Jejeloye, has said the Agency seized 18,537 motorcycles and impounded 8,642 vehicles in 2022.

Jejeloye disclosed this at the Headquarters of the Agency in Bolade, Oshodi, during the review of operational activities of the Agency in 2022, where he highlighted and analysed the statistics of operations to make room for improvements.

He said: “In the year under review, we impounded 8,642 vehicles for various traffic offences ranging from driving on one-way, obstructing the free flow of traffic, driving on the reserved Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor and parking to pick or drop off passengers at unapproved bus stops in Lagos.

“Following the modus operandi of the Agency, they were all charged to court accordingly.”

Jejeloye further disclosed that the year under review witnessed the ban in operation of commercial motorcycles popularly known as Okada in nine Local Councils and six Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) within the state, leading to confiscation and seizure of 18,537 motorcycles for operating despite the ban. After court proceedings, 17,980 motorcycles were crushed in Alausa to serve as a deterrent to other intending operators.

“It was quite a herculean task enforcing the ban on the operation of Okada in Lagos, but we were up to the task. We carried out sting operations on various Highways and other restricted routes to ensure that their activities were truncated. A total of 156 operators and 122 passengers were made to face the mobile court for patronising the unwanted Okada operators,” Jejeloye said.

The Chairman also highlighted some of the lofty feats attained by the Agency in 2022, which include, the raid of criminal hideouts, arrest of one-chance syndicates, demolition of shanties posing environmental hazards to Lagosians and bringing the activities of land grabbers in the state to zero.

He further disclosed that the Task Force made some arrests of unscrupulous individuals, who specialised in vandalising both public and private owned properties and they were all made to face the full wrath of the law.

The Chairman, who did not leave out environmental infractions, hinted that there would be more raids and activities in areas like illegal mechanic villages and car parks, where environmental pollution is predominant.

Jejeloye assured Lagosians that the Agency would not rest on its oars until the goals of attaining a mega city status is completely achieved.

He urged motorists to obey traffic laws and desist from engaging in acts that could jeopardise the free flow of traffic within the metropolis and appealed to Lagosians to resist the urge to commit crime and report anything suspicious to the Agency through the phone numbers provided or through the social media handles.
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