On Thursday, December 15, 2022, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) announced the arrest of a fake LASTMA official, David Oluchukwu, in the Lagos neighborhood of Lekki.
The Oluckuwu was apprehended by a patrol team monitoring and controlling traffic around the Lekki area, according to Taofiq Adebayo, LASTMA’s Public Affairs Department, and the agency’s General Manager, Bolaji Oreagba.
According to Adebayo, preliminary investigations show that the suspect is a member of a criminal gang that extorts large sums from innocent motorists caught for various offenses such as seat belt violations, obstructions, illegal overtaking, and one-way traffic violations.
Oluchkwu was apprehended after a patrol team observed him, fully dressed in the LASTMA uniform and wearing black jeans, extorting money from various commercial bus drivers for illegally dropping off or picking up passengers under the Lekki Bridge.
Adebayo decried the agency’s infiltration by unscrupulous individuals impersonating LASTMA personnel, extorting money from road users, and destroying the agency’s image.
Oreagba warned motorists to be wary of imposters extorting money from them, stating that LASTMA has a cashless policy and that violators are always charged with a referal notice.
The suspect, Oluchukwu, 27, allegedly confessed to the crime and stated that he earns about N40,000 per day from his illegal traffic business.
Oluchukwu said:
“Any motorist I caught driving against traffic (one-way) paid a minimum of N50,000, while other traffic violators were charged with different fines,”
he said in the statement.