By Abibat Aliu
The Lagos State Police Command said it has secured a total number of 1,490 convictions for various offences in the state that consists of miscreants, street traders and traffic offenders, among others.
The police said that the convicts were among the 1,709 suspects arrested for various offences in the state between June 1 and September 9, 2022, a period in which the Lagos State Government reviewed the state traffic law guiding the activities of commercial motorcyclists in the state.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Benjamin Hundeyin, said the arrests were made after the ban on motorcycle operations between June 1 and September 9, 2022, which led to the impoundment of 4,694 motorcycles from recalcitrant commercial motorcyclists.
“In June 2022, 1,885 motorcycles were impounded for contravening the ban. A decline was recorded in July with 1,501 motorcycles impounded, while August and September saw the impoundment of 1,029 and 279 motorcycles, respectively.
“However, out of the 1,709 people arrested for contravening traffic laws and other offences in the state, 131 suspects were screened out, while a total of 1,578 were charged to court, leading to the conviction of 1,490.
“Out of the 1,578 suspects prosecuted, eight had their cases struck out, 11 were discharged, while 69 were still awaiting trial.”
Hundeyin also said there was seizure of 26 tricycles and 106 vehicles, for contravening the traffic laws in the state.
He said that the state Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alabi, has directed that the enforcement of the ban on commercial motorcycles in some local governments in the state would be a continuous exercise, in order to restore sanity to the affected areas.
“The enforcement has to be continuous to maintain the tempo that we have attained within such a short time. Many of the seized motorcycles have been crushed, but the most important message we want to pass across is compliance, so that the government does not have to crush any motorcycles,” the police commissioner added.
The review, among other reasons, came on the heels of the killing of a sound engineer, David Imoh, by suspected commercial motorcyclists in the Lekki area of the state.
Following the tragic incident, a ban was placed on the operations of commercial motorcyclists in six local government areas, including Eti Osa, Ikeja, Surulere, Lagos Island, Lagos Mainland and Apapa.
The enforcement of the ban began on June 1 with security agents patrolling the listed LGAs for errant motorcyclists who had been protesting against the ban.
The government later extended the ban to four more LGAs, consisting of Kosofe, Oshodi-Isolo, Shomolu
