In most cases, these officers are culpable of deliberately shrouding traffic stipulations in a bid to trap unwary victims in the crosshairs of various trumped up charges.
-EDITOR’S PICKS
The end to intimidation and extortion by men in uniform in Nigeria doesn’t appear to be in sight as officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA) and officers of the Nigeria Police Force have entered into an unholy pact of apprehending and illegally obtaining extortionate sums of bribe from heedless traffic offenders within Lagos metropolis.
Lagos State, the beating heart of Nigeria and arguably, Africa’s most boisterous economy has perennially been plagued by traffic conundrums that conventionally force motorists to improvise means of circumventing them. This is why it has not come as much of a surprise to find the state government create an independent enforcement paraphernalia as a means of checkmating the excesses of shoddy motorists.
However, in what has turned out to be an extortion bazaar by officers of the law, the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency, in connivance with officers of the Nigerian Police Force have tactfully carved out hotspots with high likelihoods of traffic offences in a bid to lay siege and mercilessly pounce on unsuspecting traffic offenders. In most cases, these traffic officers are usually draped in mufti to accentuate the element of surprise.
At strategic points within Lagos metropolis, it has become common to find LASTMA and Police Officers camouflaging in danfo buses and laying siege for would-be traffic offenders. Their conventional tactics would usually involve a myriad of officers suddenly pouncing on the motorist and confiscating his keys with immediate effect.
Police officers masquerading and laying siege inside danfo bus
The driver would consequently be ousted from the driving seat while some of the officers will quickly jump into the passenger’s seat and start shrieking out threats of what the legal implications would be for the driver if he or she is eventually charged to court. All these theatrics are usually to induce fear and trepidation into the driver and prod him towards initiating “on the spot” negotiations.
Many motorists have clamoured about the tactics employed by these traffic officers, whose mode of operations is characterised by indiscriminate arrests and impounding of vehicles, not with the aim of enforcing the law, but to extract extortionate sums of money from their unsuspecting victims.
In most cases, these officers are culpable of deliberately shrouding traffic stipulations in a bid to trap unwary victims in the crosshairs of various trumped up charges. For instance, due to ongoing reconstruction works on the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, a signage which indicates to motorists that after Ewe-Nla Junction on the service lane from Charity is one-way has been removed, but instead of duly informing motorists of this, traffic officers have turned the situation into a money-making mill. They tactfully enshroud themselves in their danfo buses and quickly pounce on oblivious motorists.
A trip to LASTMA office at Oshodi witnessed a myriad of apprehended motorists wearing weary faces due to long, drawn-out negotiations with police officers who insist on mammoth bribes before releasing the vehicles to its owners. Whenever these offenders are unable or unwilling to meet their demands, they threaten to officially “book” them for the various infractions; a process which could result to protracted court hearings.
Police officers at LASTMA office, Oshodi, negotiating bribe with traffic violators
A victim, who declined to be named for fear of retribution, narrating his ordeal, told our correspondent that he was driving towards Oshodi from the Gbagada Expressway when he stopped to drop off some of his colleagues who were on offsite assignment. He was immediately apprehended for illegal parking.
“I made a stop to drop some of my colleagues along the road and they came out of nowhere and blocked me. Before I knew what was happening one of them seized my car keys and told us he was taking us to their station. So we’ve been here since.”
“They asked us to pay fifty thousand. We’re still trying to talk to them.”
Another victim, who also pleaded anonymity for fear of retaliation said he was driving along the Oshodi-Apapa express when some police officers stopped him.
According to him, he was tricked into stepping out of his vehicle to open his boot.
The moment he stepped out of his car the officers commandeered his keys and told him he had driven against traffic (one way).
“I was coming in from Aswani, the other side of Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, coming in from Mile 2. I was taking a client to the airport. That one way on that lane is allowed. I was on that one way, coming from the service lane. When you climb the bridge and want to make a U-turn, and connect airport road directly. I was being led by Google map and was told that that road was actually legal before but now it’s illegal.”
As I made that U-turn I saw a police checkpoint by the side of the road, so I stopped. They asked what’s in my boot and I told them it’s just the luggage of this lady I’m taking to the airport. They said I should come down and open the boot. When I came down to open the boot, the officer didn’t even follow me to the boot. Immediately I came down from my car and got to my boot, he stood by my door and blocked me.”
“I was trying to go inside and then he asked me, do you know that you have committed an offence? I said what offence? He said I just plied a one way. I told him but this is not one way, there is no sign there, Google map led me here. He said yes, that those drivers in front of me, it was also Google map that led them there.”
“We started arguing, he said he was going to drive me to their office. I said no, that I was going to drive my car by myself. Eventually I won the argument and they led me to one uncompleted building at Makinde Oshodi. An uncompleted building, I even have a picture of it. When we got there. they said my fine is N50,000.
“I spent up to three hours there. I had to call my uncle who is a colonel. Eventually I was let go. I paid only N2000.”
The source also narrated the experiences of other drivers who were being extorted of varying amounts of bribe before being released.
“Other drivers that came there, they were paying ten thousand, fifteen thousand to let them go. It’s quite illegal because those police officers there are just taking advantage of ignorant drivers who do not know it’s a one way. They’re supposed to put a sign there. I forgot to mention that they threatened to take me to the tax force office where my vehicle will be impounded. So I should just settle with them, so that they won’t take me to the tax force office,” he added.
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Other victims, who also spoke with our correspondent attested to their individual experiences with the traffic officials whose stock-in-trade has become trapping unwary motorists in the mesh of choreographed traffic offences in a bid to obtain extortionate sums of money for their release.
A Bolt driver who identified herself as Efe, said she had lost her bearing somewhere around Gbagada express inwards the third mainland bridge when she decided to drive against traffic to retrace her steps. She was immediately accosted by police officers who had masqueraded inside a danfo bus.
She was consequently taken to the LASTMA office at Oshodi and asked to pay the sum of N250,000 to secure the release of her vehicle.
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