Motorists lament as Lagos taskforce impounds vehicles

Some motorists in Lagos state have lamented the highhandedness and incessant seizure of their vehicles without cogent reasons by the task force operating in the state.

The motorists stated this while reacting to a clampdown by the Lagos Taskforce who had impounded over 70 vehicles over alleged traffic law violations in the state.

The transporters told The PUNCH that despite the hardship in the country, task forces in the state have continued to increase the burden on transporters through different levels of extortions including impounding their vehicles.

A driver, Saheed Kolapo, recounted his ordeal in the hands of the task force, stating that what motorists are going through in their hands is best described as the activities of the evil taskmaster.

“They stopped me last Wednesday and I paid them N 11,000 before I was allowed to go. I ran into their hands at noon, and they didn’t leave until past 5:00 pm upon claims that I spoke to their supervisor in an unruly manner.

The superior that I am sure  I am older than, with nothing less than 10 years. The government should please relax the activities of this taskmaster called taskforce,” Kolapo said.

Another, 68-year-old Muraina, who claimed to have been driving for over 21 years, lamented that the state government has not been monitoring the activities of the task force, noting that they have turned their mandate into an avenue to extort both offenders and innocent drivers.

He said they are the ones who mostly decide if you have run afoul of an offense or not.

“These people’s real job is to extort us and make life terrible. If there is a reason I am angry with the governor it is the unruly behavior of these task-force people. I can only pray that God helps us and delivers us from them,” he continued.

The Director of Public Affairs, Lagos State Task Force, Gbadeyan Abdulraheem, in a statement on Monday, announced that no fewer than 70 vehicles were confiscated the same day by the Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Enforcement Unit, also known as the Lagos State Taskforce.

The Publicist said the vehicles were impounded “for flagrant violation of the Lagos State traffic law as amended.”

The statement reads partly, “The Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Enforcement Unit (Taskforce), today confiscated seventy vehicles for flagrant violation of the Lagos State traffic law as amended,”

Abdulraheem added that the vehicles were impounded in coordinated operations carried out at target locations where reckless traffic violations by commercial transporters cause avoidable traffic congestion and general public nuisance.