Officers of the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA) have been called out by an X user, Oluyemi Fasipe.
He accused some LASTMA officers of allegedly extorting him to the tune of N100, 000 for allegedly driving against traffic in the state.
Fasipe who narrated his ordeal on his X handle (formerly Twitter), @yemiefash narrated how he was forced to part with N100, 000 before he could be allowed to leave the scene.
According to him, the LASTMA officials told him the incident has been captured on camera, but will be deleted once he pays the N100,000 bribe.
“Allow me to recount an incident involving some LASTMA officials in Lagos on Tuesday. While attempting to meet up with a friend on the Island, my driver inadvertently drove the wrong way. Upon being stopped by the officers, they requested that the driver exit the vehicle.
“Sensing trouble upon hearing the term “one way,” I also stepped out to provide an explanation. I informed them that we were from Ondo State, Ilu-Oke and that the driver was unfamiliar with the area, emphasising that it was not intentional.
“After a brief discussion, they suggested I speak with one of them, who informed me that we had been captured by a camera and offered to assist us in exchange for a bribe to delete the footage.
“Despite finding their deception amusing, we ended up paying N100k through a nearby POS operator.
“While I have a video recording of the incident, I have chosen not to share it, as I lack the motivation to pursue the matter further. It is evident that Nigerians are the major problem of Nigeria.”
When contacted, LASTMA’s Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department, Taofiq Adebayo, said the information captured on the TMS camera cannot be deleted by any officer.
“We had sent him messages since yesterday to furnish us with more details on the incident to further aid our investigation but no response yet from him. Again, as claimed, information on captured by the TMS camera cannot be deleted by any Officer,” Adebayo stated.
