LASTMA launches statewide clean-up operation to restore traffic order in Lagos
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has commenced a comprehensive clean-up enforcement operation across key traffic corridors in Lagos, impounding 235 vehicles and arresting 10 suspected miscreants in the first phase of the initiative.
The large-scale exercise, which began on Thursday, is aimed at addressing growing concerns over indiscriminate parking, road obstructions, environmental violations, and general disregard for traffic regulations.
Led by the General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, enforcement teams were deployed to high-traffic areas such as Oyingbo, Iddo, Eja-Lonibu, Adeniji Adele, Sabo, Jibowu Inter-State Terminal, and Oshodi.
“LASTMA is now operating under a strict zero-tolerance mandate against traffic infractions. All impounded vehicles will be promptly arraigned before the Lagos State Mobile Court for prosecution. The era of impunity on our roads is over,” Bakare-Oki said.
The vehicles impounded include 156 commercial buses (Danfo), 38 private cars, 19 tricycles and minibuses, 17 inter-state passenger buses, and five haulage trucks.
Offences cited include unlawful encroachment on pedestrian pathways, traffic obstruction, illegal terminal operations, and violation of one-way rules.
One significant incident involved five articulated trucks caught offloading livestock and abattoir waste atop the Adeniji Adele Bridge, an act described by authorities as a serious environmental and public safety hazard. The drivers involved now face prosecution.
The enforcement drive is being carried out under the directive of the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Hon. Sola Giwa, as part of the state government’s broader strategy to promote traffic discipline and urban order.
“This operation is not an attack on any demographic or commercial interest. It is an overdue rectification of systemic dysfunction. We call upon every road user to embrace this moment as an invitation to collective civic renewal,” Bakare-Oki stated.
According to LASTMA, the operation will continue across all five administrative divisions of Lagos, Lagos Island, Ikeja, Ikorodu, Badagry, and Epe.
The agency said it will continue to utilise a combination of legal enforcement, digital surveillance, and inter-agency collaboration to restore order on Lagos roads.
The campaign aligns with the Lagos state government’s urban regeneration agenda, which aims to enhance public safety, improve traffic flow, and elevate the overall livability of the state.
