The Lagos State Police Command said it arrested 40 individuals for flouting the ban on the operations of commercial motorcycles and tricycles in some parts of the state.
It also impounded 188 motorcycles and 78 tricycle.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Bala Elkana, who made the disclosure in a statement on Sunday said that the Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, on Saturday, deployed Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers, State Traffic Officers, Area Traffic Officers, Divisional Traffic Officers, the Lagos State Task Force on Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences and other police personnel to enforce the state road traffic laws that banned motorcycles and tricycles from operating on certain roads in the state.
He also disclosed that VIP escort vehicles without number plates, vehicles with defaced and covered number plates and vehicles driving against the traffic were also impounded, adding that Odumosu urged Lagos residents to comply with the new directive.
“The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, Hakeem Odumosu, had on February 1, 2020, deployed Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers, State Traffic Officers, Area Traffic Officers, Divisional Traffic Officers, Lagos State Task Force on Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences and other police officers across the state to fully enforce the provisions of the Road Traffic Laws, especially the ban on the use of motorcycles, popularly known as okada, and tricycles, also known as keke, in some local government areas and routes across the state.
“The total ban as announced by the Lagos State Government took effect from 00.00 hours on February 1, 2020. Forty violators were arrested in different parts of the state and 188 motorcycles and 78 tricycles were impounded.
The Commissioner of Police went around the state to monitor compliance and expressed his satisfaction with the level of compliance. He thanked the good people of Lagos State for their cooperation.
“The CP personally arrested some motorcycle and tricycle operators seen contravening the traffic laws. Others arrested by the CP were VIP escort vehicles without number plates, vehicles with defaced and covered number plates and vehicles driving against the traffic. Twenty-two vehicles were impounded.
“The CP reiterated the fact that no one was above the law and called on Lagos residents, irrespective of their social status, to support the police in their quest to provide a safe and secure state for everyone to live in and to carry out their lawful businesses,” Elkana said.
According to the PPRO, enforcement of the would be a continuous exercise on a daily basis for 24 hours.
He warned that violators would face the full weight of the extant laws on traffic.
