INVESTIGATION: LASTMA’s money-spinning ‘factory’ at Oshodi, Lagos
Hauls in N1.4m in fines from 7 motorists in one single case

Business is booming for the men of the Lagos State Management Agency (LASTMA) as they haul in motorists in droves to pay hefty fines for all manner of road infractions.


In one single case on Tuesday, May 30, 2023, the agency raked in N1.4 million from seven motorists who paid N200,000 fine each.

The men were caught driving in wrong directions in various parts of Lagos. They were arraigned before a mobile court beside the agency’s head office at Oshodi and were found guilty.


Receipt for N200,000 paid by one of the seven motorists to a bank.
The court, presided over by Magistrate T. O. Fashanu, ordered that their cars be forfeited to the state government. The motorists were, however, later asked to write an undertaking never to take one-way in their lives and were subsequently fined N200,000 each before their cars were released to them.

One other motorist arraigned alongside the one-way takers was fined N30,000 for ‘willful obstruction’. He had told the court he came in from Ibadan and had a medical condition that warranted him parking by the side of the road before LASTMA officials arrested him. He paid additional N10,000 for the cost of towing his car to Oshodi.


There were dozens of other cases with the offenders asked to pay various sums of money as fines.

Accusation of deception and extortion

Many of the motorists spoken to by our reporter accused many of the LASTMA officials of dishonest conducts including luring motorists into one-way traps and soliciting bribes.

Those who play ball are allegedly left off the hook, while those who refuse are taken to court where they will have no way out other than paying any fine imposed by the mobile court.

One of the men who paid N200,000 fine before he could repossess his car said he was arrested after he entered a street around Montgomery, Yaba, Lagos without realizing he was driving in the wrong direction.


Certified True Copy of the judgement convicting the eight motorists arraigned.
The gentleman, Ariyo Alatise (Not real names) told Microsecondnews: “The signpost indicating that the road was one-way had been covered. As an experienced driver you may sense that you are going in the wrong direction if no vehicle is following you and other vehicles are facing you. Sometimes, too, you can know when all the cars parked on a street are facing you and there is none facing where you are going. But none of this was present when I drove in. In fact, I saw many cars parked facing the same direction I was headed. I had not driven more than a minute when LASTMA officials pounced on me and impounded my car.”

He said there were LASTMA officials at the junction leading to the street and they did nothing to hint him that he was entering the street from the wrong direction only for them to pounce on him as soon as he drove in.


He alleged that he saw commercial buses plying one-way, but were ignored by the LASTMA officials.


An investigation by a Microsecondnews reporter at the Oshodi, Lagos headquarters of the agency on Tuesday revealed brisk business akin to a very busy market.

The entire premises of the agency was swarming with men and women who were brought in for one offence or the other.

Immunity stickers

Some of the motorists spoken to also alleged that there were rackets and unwholesome practices among the LASTMA officials, especially those attached to the taskforce.

One commercial driver disclosed to Microsecondnews at Oshodi that there were some stickers on commercial buses that confer immunity against arrest on the vehicles carrying them.

According to him, commercial drivers pay up to N50,000 monthly to a clique of LASTMA officials to be exempted from arrest for traffic violations.

“Once you pay the money, you are given a sticker which you place on your car. No LASTMA official will arrest you. They will just pretend as if they are not seeing you, but will arrest anyone who follows you to break the same traffic law” the driver said.

He said the stickers look ordinary to everyone else, but they have special meaning to the drivers and the officials.


He gave some of the stickers as ‘Omo Oga’, ‘Ifa Eko’, ‘DST’, ‘Sanje’, ‘AYT2’, ‘77x’, ‘Psalm 21 2023’, ‘Austin’, and ‘Kingsley’.

Our reporter started looking out for the sticker names mentioned and saw one on a commercial bus on his way back from the LASTMA head office at Oshodi.

The stickers, ‘Psalm 21 2023’ were placed at the front and the back of the bus.
Another motorist spoken to at the premises of the agency’s taskforce opposite Arena Shopping Mall, Oshodi, alleged that LASTMA officials take out apprehended motorists for bargaining that can either lead to the release of such motorists or their arraignment before a mobile court, which sits every Tuesday and Thursday.

Efforts to get the reaction of the agency failed to yield positive results as of the time of filing this report.
https://microsecondnews.com/index.php/2023/06/03/investigation-lastmas-money-spinning-factory-at-oshodi-lagos/

These guys are nightmares to motorists including the touts claiming they work for local governments in Lagos. The number of one-way in Lagos are too many for one to recognize all of them, and most of them don't have signage to warn drivers, you will just be driving jejeli inside a street and touts will block you from no where and claim it's a way one..if you are lucky, they will collect 20k from you..

Omo I no dey drive go anywhere in Lagos that I'm not too familiar with...

okoo

They took one way?

pandoragirigory:
They took one way?

lagos traffic is something else with those lastman doing virtualy nothing about it hopping you take one way and be caught

Very set of wicked being, I heard that those on the road side do weekly contribution of 10k everyday.

Those LASTMA guys at Oshodi are touts. You will even see them taking alcohol outside their office. They work with touts and police. I can never forget how they extorted 20k from me in 2021.

I wonder why Sanwo Olu has not done anything about them.

EverblazingTee:
Those LASTMA guys at Oshodi are touts. You will even see them taking alcohol outside their office. They work with touts and police. I can never forget how they extorted 20k from me in 2021.

I wonder why Sanwo Olu has not done anything about them.

Done anything ke? When they're generating revenue for him? He increased their fines to d crazy amounts they now charge some yrs ago. LASTMA is a revenue generating agency

Nigeria is a free world for all corrupt bodies/agencies to do how they want....... no one is accountable to the other.

Nigerian is an open corruption feasting country. They force you to do wrong so they can make you do more wrong

Nothing Mobile court about the bolade mobile court. It was set up to extort motorists. Those Mobile taskforce officials, lasma and even the judges are using people to cash out. They're the reason I dislike APC

He needs to put their activities in check.

CHARLOE:

Done anything ke? When they're generating revenue for him? He increased their fines to d crazy amounts they now charge some yrs ago. LASTMA is a revenue generating agency

verygoodbadboi:
Nothing Mobile court about the bolade mobile court. It was set up to extort motorists. Those Mobile taskforce officials, lasma and even the judges are using people to cash out. They're the reason I dislike APC

In some cases where it's so obvious that there is no proof of offence, the court will adjourn twice then release you and ordered that your vehicle be released, yet, they still will not release your vehicle, insisting that you must pay the fine

We need a better life

Once, I was a victim to their antics, the tinted SUV in front of me was not stopped, the danfo behind me was also not stopped... Only I in the middle with my Camry was stopped.
The irony is this:
LASTMA cannot arrest the very rich and the very connected.
LASTMA do not bother with the very poor like korope, danfo, okada.
They are only out for one set of people only: the middle class. They hate that average working man or woman driving his mid level car. Funny enough, it is this same category that pay taxes diligently. The very rich can use their influence to evade taxes, the very poor has nothing to pay in the first place.
The rich hate the middle class because they feel they are trying to "step up" to their level.
The poor also hates the middle class because they look at them as being "rich" and the cause of their poverty.
The same poor has nothing but admiration and awe for the very rich whom are mostly politicians that put them in that situation.
The middle class is under threat in Nigeria, and they are responding by leaving the country in droves.
A time will come, they would have all left and there would be no scapegoat to hate. Then, the country will descend into full anarchy.

I was a victim today. My car is still with them as I type as I have been referred to their mobile court tomorrow. Imagine the road we have been passing to Apapa since last year because the road is under construction and trailers have turned one side of the road to their park.
In fact, that is the road everybody passes to Apapa. Even as we were there arguing, many vehicles were still passing.
Those people will never see anything good in their lives

This is the real definition of "organised crime"!
Mods pls push this to the front page so the authorities in Lagos will not feign ignorance of their men's nefarious activities!!

Skyfornia:
These guys are nightmares to motorists including the touts claiming they work for local governments in Lagos. The number of one-way in Lagos are too many for one to recognize all of them, and most of them don't have signage to warn drivers, you will just be driving jejeli inside a street and touts will block you from no where and claim it's a way one..if you are lucky, they will collect 20k from you..

Omo I no dey drive go anywhere in Lagos that I'm not too familiar with...

Better

wonder233:
Once, I was a victim to their antics, the tinted SUV in front of me was not stopped, the danfo behind me was also not stopped... Only I in the middle with my Camry was stopped.
The irony is this:
LASTMA cannot arrest the very rich and the very connected.
LASTMA do not bother with the very poor like korope, danfo, okada.
They are only out for one set of people only: the middle class. They hate that average working man or woman driving his mid level car. Funny enough, it is this same category that pay taxes diligently. The very rich can use their influence to evade taxes, the very poor has nothing to pay in the first place.
The rich hate the middle class because they feel they are trying to "step up" to their level.
The poor also hates the middle class because they look at them as being "rich" and the cause of their poverty.
The same poor has nothing but admiration and awe for the very rich whom are mostly politicians that put them in that situation.
The middle class is under threat in Nigeria, and they are responding by leaving the country in droves.
A time will come, they would have all left and there would be no scapegoat to hate. Then, the country will descend into full anarchy.

I blame the middle class for mob thinking of 2015 election. By 2031, middle class would have been disappeared. Lagos model of government would be implemented nationwide.

The legacy of Bola Ahmed Tinubu the cocaine sniffing dispatcher

Another money laundering scheme

Na today?
LASTMA na congregation of thugs.... APC thugs