The Magistrate’s Court 1 sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria, has sent three officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, and two others to Kirikiri Prison for allegedly taking bribe from motorists.

The LASTMA officials are Mr. Anjorin Sakiru, 43 years, a Principal Traffic Officer I, Mr. Shafari Fakumogun, 50, and a female, Omisakin Temitope, 33 years while two other suspected accomplices were also sent to Kirikiri with them.

The accused pleaded not guilty and were granted bail in the sum of N200,000 each, with two sureties in like sum, but they could not meet the bail conditions and were remanded at Kirikiri. The matter was adjourned till 19 June, 2012.

The three LASTMA officials were arrested by the LASTMA Monitoring Team at Tollgate for allegedly extorting money from motorists, while the other two accomplices in mufti helped the LASTMA officers to extort money from motorists.

Luck ran out on them when the LASTMA officials stopped Mr. Kelvin Ogbonnaya, who was driving a Space bus and ordered him to part with some money. Ogbonanya said seven other vehicles stopped by the LASTMA officials had their drivers begging for mercy from the LASTMA officers, while he alerted the LASTMA Monitoring team which came to the scene and promptly arrested the culprits.

Investigations revealed that the other two men arrested posed as LASTMA officials and helped the real LASTMA officials to collect bribe from motorists. The culprits were brought to the Office of the Lagos State Taskforce on Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit, Alausa, Ikeja and were detained on Friday before they were later arraigned in court. Taskforce Chairman, Bayo Sulaiman, said the law must take its course, saying that the culprits must be punished according to the laws of the state.

—Kazeem Ugbodaga
http://pmnewsnigeria.com/2012/05/22/bribery-3-lastma-officials-sent-to-kirikiri/

jidsoon: The Magistrate’s Court 1 sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria, has sent three officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, and two others to Kirikiri Prison for allegedly taking bribe from motorists.

The LASTMA officials are Mr. Anjorin Sakiru, 43 years, a Principal Traffic Officer I, Mr. Shafari Fakumogun, 50, and a female, Omisakin Temitope, 33 years while two other suspected accomplices were also sent to Kirikiri with them.

The accused pleaded not guilty and were granted bail in the sum of N200,000 each, with two sureties in like sum, but they could not meet the bail conditions and were remanded at Kirikiri. The matter was adjourned till 19 June, 2012.

The three LASTMA officials were arrested by the LASTMA Monitoring Team at Tollgate for allegedly extorting money from motorists, while the other two accomplices in mufti helped the LASTMA officers to extort money from motorists.

Luck ran out on them when the LASTMA officials stopped Mr. Kelvin Ogbonnaya, who was driving a Space bus and ordered him to part with some money. Ogbonanya said seven other vehicles stopped by the LASTMA officials had their drivers begging for mercy from the LASTMA officers, while he alerted the LASTMA Monitoring team which came to the scene and promptly arrested the culprits.

Investigations revealed that the other two men arrested posed as LASTMA officials and helped the real LASTMA officials to collect bribe from motorists. The culprits were brought to the Office of the Lagos State Taskforce on Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit, Alausa, Ikeja and were detained on Friday before they were later arraigned in court. Taskforce Chairman, Bayo Sulaiman, said the law must take its course, saying that the culprits must be punished according to the laws of the state.

—Kazeem Ugbodaga
http://pmnewsnigeria.com/2012/05/22/bribery-3-lastma-officials-sent-to-kirikiri/

This is good news. I wish all states will follow suite. It will help discourage bribery and corruption in Nigeria.