Lagos traffic officers to work two shifts

Etim Ekpimah

Traffic officers in Lagos State are to work from 10pm to 10am (night shift) and 10am to 10pm (morning shift) at strategic places to ease traffic congestions.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Hakeem Odumosu issued the directive when he met with the traffic officers in the state with their respective area commanders, DPOs, and the officer in charge of the Motor and Traffic Division of the command on Thursday.

A statement from the Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi on Friday, noted that the CP also ordered the operation officers at various divisions to work with the personnel on night duty for protection and quick response to traffic incidences.

According to the statement, Odumosu called the attention of the police officers to the strategic places and roads where rehabilitation and construction works are ongoing, where Nigerians will naturally experience heavy traffic; he, therefore, directed that more personnel be deployed to propel free flow of traffic at those places across the state.

“The police boss has directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Department of Operations, DCP Ahmed Kontangora, to issue a directive implementing the new 10pm to 10am, night duty and 10am to 10pm morning duty shifts at strategic places across the state to ease traffic problems.

“The police chief also ordered the operation officers at various divisions to work with the personnel on night duty for protection and quick response to traffic incidences,” the statement added.

The PPRO added that Odumosu has directed that operational and tactical units to work with the Motor and Traffic Division of the command to tackle traffic robbery in the state as the Commissioner of Police put the police power bikers and personnel of the Rapid Response Squad on their toes for continuous surveillance and operations to combat the menace of traffic robbery in Lagos State.

Meanwhile, the operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) early Thursday, arrested four suspected traffic robbers around Abiola Garden area of Ojota.

“Premised on the intelligence gathered on operations of criminals around Ketu area, Odumosu deployed a surveillance team from the RRS, led by the Commander, CSP Yinka Egbeyemi, to monitor the entire Ikorodu road area in reaction to a series of complaints of early morning robbery attacks on motorists including residents around Owode-Onirin, Mile 12, Ketu and Ojota areas of Lagos State.

“The surveillance team was on a decoy at about 6:30am beside ‘Abiola Garden’ when the suspected criminals came out with dangerous weapons in an attempt to rob the policemen, demanding for their wallets and other valuables before they were all apprehended,” he said.

He said the suspects are: Adewale Ismaila (30 years); Chinadu Okafor (26 years); Tote Victor (19 years), and Abdulahi Olalere, a.k.a ‘Orobo’ (20 years).

Adejobi said that one of the suspected traffic robbers, Abdulahi Olalere a.k.a ‘Orobo’, confessed to belonging to a robbery gang, which specializes in attacking and robbing innocent motorists of their belongings in the early hours along Ikorodu Road.

He also confirmed that his gang was responsible for the early morning robbery attacks on innocent motorists around China Town and tipper garage by Ketu area of Ikorodu Road on Tuesday, 23th of March, 2021.

Adejobi stated that preliminary investigation showed that Abdulahi Olalere a.k.a ‘Orobo’ was recently released from a Correctional Center having 6 months jail term for same robbery incidents in 2020.

He noted that the Commissioner of Police, while directing that the suspects be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Yaba for Investigation, however promised to channel both material and human resources of the command to tackling traffic challenges including traffic robbery and other forms of criminality in Lagos State.