By Ikugbadi Oluwasegun
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has apprehended one Adetayo Adewodun, aged 47, for impersonating LASTMA officer and fraudulently extorting the sum of ₦7,800 from an unsuspecting motorist around the Itire Junction axis of Lagos State.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect, Adewodun, accosted one Ayano Stephen, driver of a white Hilux vehicle (GME 259 TE) belonging to a construction firm, for allegedly making an unlawful turn at the aforementioned junction. Posing as an operative of LASTMA, the impostor deceitfully demanded the sum of ₦80,000 as a supposed penalty for the traffic violation.
Unable to meet the outrageous demand, Mr. Stephen pleaded and eventually parted with the only cash in his possession a sum of ₦7,800 which he handed over to the fake officer. However, shortly after the transaction, the motorist became suspicious of the suspect’s demeanour and promptly contacted the Agency through its toll-free hotline to verify the authenticity of the alleged officer
Acting upon the distress report, LASTMA’s Surveillance and Intelligence Unit, under the directive of the General Manager, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, swiftly mobilized to the location. On sighting the approaching enforcement team, the suspect attempted to flee but was hotly pursued, apprehended within minutes, and immediately conveyed to the LASTMA Headquarters at Oshodi for interrogation.
During a rigorous questioning session, Adewodun confessed to being a member of a three-man criminal syndicate that routinely parades themselves as LASTMA personnel around the Itire axis, extorting unsuspecting motorists under the guise of enforcing traffic regulations. He further divulged that the gang operates across several road intersections and makes an average of ₦65,000 daily through such nefarious activities.
