Lagos govt to auction cars seized over traffic offences

The Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Unit (Taskforce) has concluded plans to auction 53 vehicles for violating traffic rules.

This was disclosed in a press statement issued on Wednesday by Kehinde Taofeek, the spokesperson of the agency.

About 31 vehicles belonging to traffic offenders already convicted by the court for driving against oncoming traffic and 22 other vehicles were abandoned by their owners for over six months after seizure.

According to the statement, the 31 vehicles were ordered forfeited to the state government by Omobola Salawu, the Magistrate of the Lagos State Mobile Court, Oshodi.

It was added that the offenders pleaded guilty before the magistrate and were sentenced to 100 days ‘Community Service’ at any public institution.

Olayinka Egbeyemi, the chairman of the agency, said that the owners of the impounded vehicles who abandoned their cars have contravened the Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law 2018.

He added that a public notice has been issued to the owners of the court forfeited cars and abandoned cars to identify their vehicles at the agency’s car parks in Ikorodu & Bolade-Oshodi.

“At the expiration of the one-month verification exercise, the agency shall apply to court for an order of ‘Public Auction’ where members of the public would have opportunity to buy any of these vehicles,” Mr Egbeyemi said.

Mr Egbeyemi also disclosed that over 7350 impounded motorcycles are presently in the custody of the Lagos Task Force.

The motorcycles belong to riders who plied restricted routes, including highways and bridges across the Lagos state.

The motorcycles were seized from motorcyclists around Agege, Pen-Cinema, Apapa, Ikorodu, Mile 2, Obalende, Oyingbo, 2nd Rainbow, Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, Ojota, Maryland, Yaba, Oshodi, Ikorodu Road, Apongbon, Ikeja and Iyana-Ipaja.

Mr Egbeyemi reinforced that the Lagos State Government has zero-tolerance for violation of the law, “and the agency will continue to prosecute traffic offenders until sanity is restored on Lagos roads.”