Operatives of the Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Unit, Task Force, have impounded twenty-one vehicles and arrested nine drivers for driving against traffic.

According to its Chairman, Olayinka Egbeyemi, vehicles were impounded and drivers arrest were carried out at cele and iyana-isolo bus-stops along Oshodi-Mile 2 expressway.

Egbeyemi, a Chief Superintendent of Police who led the enforcement team, said there had been serious complaints from motorists and residents that activities of the driving-against-traffic drivers were causing serious traffic gridlock on a daily basis along that axis.

He said the impounding and arrest were made while they were returning from a demolition exercise at Eric Moore and Orile-Iganmu along Lagos-Badagry Expressway.

“Honestly speaking it is painful that with high level of enlightenment campaigns and several warnings by the government motorists including private car owners can still be driving against flow of traffic in such a long magnitude thereby blocking on-coming vehicles to a stand still at Iyana-Isolo”

CSP Egbeyemi however advised other remaining 12 drivers who were at large to immediately report to the Agency for prosecutions.

Meanwhile, 9 arrested drivers were arraigned before Magistrate (Mrs) Salau Omobola of the Lagos State Mobile Court for driving in the direction prohibited by law (one-way) punishable under Part (III) item 27 of the ‘Transport Sector’ of Lagos State 2018.

Magistrate Omobola pronouced outright forfieture of their 9 vehicles to the State government after the defendants (drivers) admitted guilty to the one-way traffic offence charged against them.

As part of the judgement, the court also pronounced a ’20-hour Community Service’ as additional punishment to individual arraigned driver.

According to the Magistrate, vehicles forfeited to the government include (Acura car APP 39 EX), (Toyota Hilux KSF 374 DH), (Nissan Small bus KJA 646 XT), (Peugeot APP 437 FN), (LT Volkswagen bus JJJ 822 XT), (Volkswagen ‘T4 bus’ KTU 169 XJ), (Volkswagen KRD 438 XL), (Volkswagen bus EKY 946 FT) and (KRD 793 XT).