Policeman protests towing of car, shoots at LASTMA office

A policeman, Solomon Awodogan, on Wednesday
allegedly shot indiscriminately at the Iponri office of
the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority to
protest the towing of his vehicle by the agency's
officials.
PUNCH Metro learnt that LASTMA officials had towed
the vehicle after it was parked on the Bus Rapid
Transit lane.
The General Manager, LASTMA, Mr. Babatunde Edu,
said after the shooting, the policeman got itno his
vehicle and sped off.
Edu said, "The policeman reportedly stormed the
Iponri office of LASTMA, shot sporadically and forcibly
ran away with his apprehended vehicle. The red
Mercedes Benz with number plate JV 23KJA was
apprehended at Oyingbo for parking on the BRT
dedicated lane, thereby violating the BRT traffic law.
"The owner of the vehicle deliberately parked on the
dedicated lane without recourse for the established
law as it became an impediment for BRT buses to
move on the lane. This led to the towing of the
vehicle. The Mercedes Benz was booked in
accordance with Lagos State Traffic Management
Regulation law.
"The suspect, who later traced the vehicle to the
Iponri office of the agency, wore a cream top on his
police trousers and started shooting into the air
indiscriminately to scare away the officers and the
security men on duty and succeeded in taking away
the vehicle from the yard."
Edu expressed disappointment that a law
enforcement agent could break the law with
impunity, adding that such acts of indiscipline could
lead to the breakdown of law and order.
Edu said the policeman, whose address was traced to
10, Abolade Street, Mushin through the aid of the
auto inspector computer software, would be
sanctioned accordingly so as to serve as a deterrent
to others.
When contacted, the spokesperson for the State
Police Command, Ngozi Braide, said she was unaware
of the incident but promised to find out.