Confusion broke out two days ago at the headquarters of Lagos State Signage & Advertisement Agency (LASAA), following an order by a Magistrate, Lateef Owolabi that all vehicles illegally parked within and on the sidewalk of LASAA office be impounded, including vehicles belonging to the government agency.
An eyewitness told this magazine that all efforts and pleas put in by officials of LASAA proved abortive as number plates of the vehicles were removed immediately by the officials of the Mobile Court. The agency was later arraigned before Magistrate Nurudeen Layeni Atanda who presided over the case.
We were told that one Mr Olumide Ajibola, appearing on behalf of the Attorney General of Lagos State, urged the court to adopt the content of the charge sheet against the defendant. Mr. B.O Abdulsalam, a counsel from the office of Public Defendant, appeared for the defendant, and pleaded with the court for leniency, that the defendant is a first time offender.
The defendant (LASAA) pleaded guilty to the one count charge bothering on traffic offence of The Lagos State Road Traffic Law section Number 4 “
Subsequently, at the discretion of the magistrate, the defendant was asked to pay a fine of N20, 000 on each vehicle.
Several other traffic offenders were reportedly arrested within Alausa, Ojota, Ogudu and environs, with many of them equally arraigned before magistrates Owolabi and Nurudeen Layeni respectively and fined various sums.
-Richard Arthur
