… Debunks Allegations of Extortion
Lagos State Government has released 21 commercial vehicles impounded for driving one-way unconditionally to their owners to enable them to get back on the roads in pursuit of their daily bread thereby cushioning the effects of the economic downturn on the citizens.
The Chairman of the Lagos State Taskforce, CSP Shola Jejeloye, who disclosed recently during a meeting with owners of the vehicles at the Headquarters of the Agency in Oshodi, added that the Taskforce released the impounded cars as a show of good faith and empathy with members of the public. He, however, warned the culprits to desist from violating traffic rules as they might not be that lucky next time.
Meanwhile, Jejeloye has debunked the allegations making the rounds that officials of the Agency were demanding N20,000 from motorists caught for traffic law violations along Itowolo/Odo Ogun Bridge, close to Maryland.
According to him, the report is not only false but completely misleading and can categorically be identified as the handiwork of mischief makers, stressing that the Lagos State Taskforce has not carried out any enforcement exercises along the aforementioned axis this year.
“The Lagos State Taskforce has not carried out any operations along Maryland or Ikeja this year due to reasons bordering mainly on the economic challenges being faced by Lagosians. It would be utterly unfair to carry out strict enforcement and add to the challenges of motorists. There is a large shortage in the supply of cash in the country so where do these supposed motorists get the money to pay with? Is it done via transfers?” Jejeloye queried.
The Chairman urged members of the public who might have been victims of extortion by the alleged ‘task force’ officials to come forward with their claims in order to help the Agency carry out a thorough investigation into the allegations.
“As a responsible agency of Government, accusations like these are not just swept under the rug, rather it is investigated thoroughly in order to ensure that impostors aren’t carrying out illegal operations and tarnishing our image. We will investigate it thoroughly and make sure that Lagosians are allowed to commute peacefully around the metropolis without any fear of being harassed”, he said.
The Chairman disclosed that there are other enforcement agencies in Lagos who call themselves “Taskforce” but are not affiliated with us in any way. Their actions give us a bad name sometimes and we will make sure we fish them all out.
“A team has been deployed to that axis to monitor vehicular activities and if any individual or group is found impersonating the Lagos State Taskforce, they would be apprehended and charged to court immediately”, Jejeloye revealed.
The Chairman, however, admonished members of the public who may fall victim to such impostors to ask to be taken to their office before parting with their hard-earned money.
“I urge members of the Public to report any form of extortion or wrongful arrest by officials of the Agency to me through our contact phone numbers, social media channels, or directly to my office at the Headquarters of the Agency in Bolade, Oshodi”, he said.