The Lagos State Special Offences Mobile Court sitting in Bolade, Oshodi, on Monday, convicted and sentenced a fake officer of the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA), Omotutu Bamidele, to two years imprisonment.
Bamidele was arrested by LASTMA last week for impersonating agency’s official and extorting money from innocent motorists across Lagos State.
LEADERSHIP gathered that the fake LASTMA officer was arraigned on a two-count charge of impersonation and obtaining money by trick before the Mobile Court.
Confirming the development, the director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department of LASTMA, Mr. Adebayo Taofiq, in a statement made available to LEADERSHIP, said Magistrate Kehinde Ogundare sentenced Bamidele to a two-year jail term after he pleaded guilty to the charge levelled against him.
The Magistrate, however, emphasised that the convict should serve the jail term without any option fine due to the gravity of the offences.
On the part of the Court Prosecutor, Barr. Olufemi Adekunle, both offences levelled against the convict contravened the Criminal Law of Lagos State (2015).
In his reaction to the judgement, the general manager of LASTMA, Bolaji Oreagba, said the judgement was a welcome development as it would serve as deterrence to others who are still extorting money from innocent members of the public under false pretence.
Oreagba said, “Our Monitoring and Surveillance Unit which has now been fully restructured would continue to hunt for other bad elements disturbing the peace of the society.”
The LASTMA boss urged motorists particularly commercial bus operators to adhere strictly to the dictates of the Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law 2018 and avoid attacking officers of the agency.
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