The General Manager of Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) Olajide Oduyoye, has said the officials of the agency will start carrying body camera technology as part of measures to ensure offenders are apprehended with solid evidence.
The LASTMA GM said this on Friday while speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily. He added that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos is working towards helping the agency to acquire the necessary technologies to checkmate traffic offenders within the metropolis.
“This year, we are definitely hoping to start in the next few weeks what you will say are non-approachable offence dealings. That means we are going to be having body cameras on officers to capture incidences because things happen so fast and you can’t really say let me get my camera. But if you have your body camera on that is recording, then, you can capture all sorts of different things that you can use against offenders,” Oduyoye said.
He also added that some persons who violate rules remove traffic signs often to deliberately disobey road traffic laws.
“Those who willfully disobey traffic signs go in the middle of the night to remove those signs. When they are caught, they will say that there were no signs. They go and remove the signs to prove they aren’t aware of the signs. This happens all the time,” the GM stated.
Oduyoye also reacted to the incident in which a Sport Utility vehicle knocked a police officer in a canal. He revealed that the driver, Sunday Okodo, has been charged to court with two counts charges of attempted murder and traffic violation.
All News Nigeria reported Okodo being caught on video driving against the traffic and tipping a policeman over a bridge along the International Airport Road, in his attempt to flee when accosted by security operatives.
Oduyoye disclosed that the police inspector identified as David Zapaina, who was thrown over the bridge, has been discharged from the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The LASTMA boss said “He is alive and he has been discharged from the hospital but it is more like he needs to seek more local intervention to reset his bones.”
He then cautioned road users in Lagos to always obey traffic laws and accept the consequences of their actions once apprehended for flouting the rules of the road.
