The Lagos State Government has auctioned 83 forfeited vehicles for violating the state’s Transport Sector Reform Law 2018.
In a statement issued on Monday by the Director of Public Affairs in the Ministry of Justice, Kayode Oyekanmi, the move is sequel to the orders of the Special Offences Mobile Court set up by the state government.
Driving against traffic (one way) has caused a huge number of accidents and untold losses to property and human lives,” the Coordinator of Special Offences Mobile Court, Arinola Ogbara, was quoted as saying.
“There is a lot of processes and transparency to the public auction. Moreso, some of the people whose cars were seized have been told to pay a fine without their cars being forfeited based on the strength of evidence they presented at the Mobile Court.”
Also speaking, the Chairman of the State Taskforce, Shola Jejeloye, said the auction exercise was not meant to punish but to correct.
“I do not see what we have come to do today as an auction but as a correction and deterrent for some Lagosian. The Lagos Commissioner of Police has instructed us to go out there as policemen and do our best to ensure the free flow of traffic,” he said.
The auctioned vehicles were earlier impounded in different areas of the state with the auction exercise conducted by a licensed Auctioneer, Mr. Ade Onanuga, of CR Limited Auction House.