Lagos CP Declares State of Emergency on Traffic

Chiemelie Ezeobi

The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, Hakeem Odumosu, has declared a state of emergency on the perennial traffic and its attendant consequences that has beguiled the state.

Odumosu had two days after he took over as Lagos CP, ordered the immediate deployment of additional 1,000 police officers to traffic duty, having studied the situation on ground.

The CP took the decision during an emergency meeting he summoned in the command headquarters in Ikeja to review the current traffic situation in the state.

In attendance were the deputy commissioners of police of the Department of Finance and Administration, Department of Operations, Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and Rapid Response Squad (RRS)

Also in attendance were area commanders, area operations officers, state traffic officer, and divisional traffic officers across the state and the Chairman Lagos State Taskforce on Environmental and Special Offences, among others.

In the meeting, the CP also reviewed the time for duty report for traffic officers to take care of the peak hours.

He said traffic duty officers will run shifts between 10a.m to 10p.m, while the second shift will be from 10p.m to 10a.m, providing 24 hours’ coverage.

Noting that they must all operate in their usual reflective jackets, he said the new 24-hour measure will help in ensuring free flow of traffic and will also curb the menace of traffic robbery.

The commissioner of police also called on the residents of the state to accord the police officers on traffic duties maximum cooperation in the discharge of their statutory duties by obeying traffic laws.

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government through the State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF) injected over 25 patrol vehicles to the RRS.

The vehicles were yesterday handed over to the CP at the State House, Alausa, Ikeja, by the Executive Secretary, Abdulrrazaq Balogun, on behalf of the chairman and board of the fund.

He said the vehicles were part of the periodic injection of additional vehicles to enhance the operational coverage and increase their visibility of police in the state.

Balogun added that the provision of additional vehicles would assist the police in combating crime, especially at the yuletide period when crime is always on the rise.

He noted that the Fund appreciated the strides of RRS in combating crime in the state, adding that the feedback it has been getting from the people on the assistance of the squad has been very positive.

He thanked the donors for supporting the Fund and operatives of the police for committing their lives towards safety of lives and property of the people.

Receiving the vehicles, Odumosu assured that the police would make judicious use of the vehicles, adding that the handing over of the vehicles would serve as a challenge to the police to ensure that lives and property of people are protected at all times.

In attendance at the hand-over were the Commander, Rapid Response Squad, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Tunji Disu and Assistant Commissioner of Police, Adewale Ajao.

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