Lagos arrests soldier, driver on Third Mainland Bridge

The Lagos State Government’s special security unit, Taskforce on Environment and Special Offences Enforcement Unit, has arrested a lance corporal and a driver for driving against traffic.

The soldier, Umaru Usman, and the driver, Sagir Abubakar, were arrested between 1pm and 3pm on Tuesday for driving a truck against traffic on the Third Mainland Bridge.

Task force Chairman, Mr. Bayo Sulaiman, a Superintendent of Police, on Wednesday said the action was contrary to the new state traffic law.

He added that the truck with number plate, YOBE XB 323 FKA, had been impounded by the task force.

Sulaiman said, “The truck was carrying bags of rice, bags of cement and boxes of sugar when it was impounded.

“The truck has been forfeited to the state while the lance corporal, who acted as a pilot to the truck, has been handed over to the military authorities because we found out that he had no pass.

“Of course, the driver will be charged to court for violation of the state traffic law.”

The chairman said the enforcement of the traffic law had commenced since the day the law was signed by Governor Babatunde Fashola.

He added that law enforcement agencies were enforcing the law gradually to allow the people to adjust.

He said, “For instance, we are concentrating more on ridding the state of touts, popularly called agbero.

“We arrested and prosecuted more than 60 touts in the last two weeks.

“We are also concentrating on the state bridges to arrest commercial motorcyclists that would want to flout the restriction order on their operations.”

He said the task force would soon move from the bridges to Ikeja and Alausa to enforce the okada ban.