Lagos court jails fake LASTMA official

The Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Mobile Court sitting at Bolade, Oshodi, on Monday, sentenced a fake Lagos State Traffic Management Authority officer, David Oluchukwu, to four months in jail for impersonation and extortion of unsuspecting members of the public, particularly commercial bus drivers.

The Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department, LASTMA, Taofiq Adebayo, who confirmed the development in a statement on Tuesday, said Oluchukwu was arraigned on two counts bordering on conduct likely to cause a breach of peace and impersonation, adding that after pleading guilty, he was sentenced without an option of fine.

He said, “The Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Mobile Court sitting at Bolade, Oshodi, on Monday, December 19, 2022, sentenced an arrested fake LASTMA officer, David Oluchukwu, to a four-month jail term for impersonating and extorting money from motorists, particularly commercial bus drivers in Lagos.

“The convicted fake LASTMA officer was arraigned by the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority on two-count of ‘conduct likely to cause breach of peace’ and ‘impersonation’ before the court.”

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The prosecutor, Agbaje Oladotun, stated that both offences levelled against the convict contravened Section 168 (D) and Section 78 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State (2015) respectively.

“Magistrate Adesanya Ademola sentenced Oluchukwu to a four-month jail term without any option of fine after he pleaded ‘guilty’ to the two-count levelled against him.

“Magistrate Adesanya emphasised that the convict should serve the four months jail term without any option fine due to the gravity of the offences committed,” Adebayo said.

Reacting to the judgement, the General Manager, LASTMA, Bolaji Oreagba, said the judgement was a welcome development as it would serve as deterrent to others who were still extorting money from innocent members of the public under false pretense.

“Our Surveillance and Intelligence Unit which has now been fully restructured would continue to hunt for other bad elements disturbing the peace of the society,” Oreagba was quoted to have said.

Adebayo said Oreagba urged motorists, particularly commercial bus operators, to adhere strictly to the dictates of the Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law 2018.

The PUNCH had reported that Oluchukwu, after his arrest in the Lekki area of the state, confessed that he had been earning N40,000 daily from the illegal traffic business.