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9,370 Vehicles Impounded For Traffic Offences In Six Months – LASTMA

Published

1 year ago

July 7, 2024

The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority said it impounded 9,370 vehicles from January 2024 to June 2024 for alleged traffic violations.

The General Manager, LASTMA, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Ok, gave the figure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday in Lagos.

Bakare-Oki said that 3,034 private vehicles were impounded, adding that they comprised 1,849 cars, 549 buses and 636 Sports Utility Vehicles, among others.

According to him, 256 casualties were recorded during the period.

The LASTMA boss advised the public to obey all traffic rules and regulations and respect traffic managers.

He said, “In the last six months, it has been the good, bad and ugly, but so far, we have been able to surmount many challenges especially when it comes to training and retraining drive.

“We have been able to train 2,000 of our staff, both internally and externally.

“We started with external training. We had a collaboration with the training department of the Nigerian Police, Lagos Command, and we were able to train over 900.”

Bakare-Oki added that the authority collaborated with “our three consultants on leadership skills, emotional intelligence, customer care, and incidents management.

“We are doing all these so that we can improve on service delivery to Lagos residents,” noting that the LASTMA intends to “rebuild public confidence, especially in the area of public relations.”

The LASTMA boss said that the authority’s call centre would be launched soon while adding that it would be toll-free, accommodate English and Yoruba languages, and Pidgin, which would also enable the LASTMA to get feedback.

As regards enforcement, Bakare-Oki said the LASTMA started with the clearing of the Apapa Port, during which several operations were carried out, including removal of trucks, and tankers that parked indiscriminately on the Apapa route.

“Apart from the Apapa corridor and even Iyana-Ipaja, we were on the island. We entered Idumota, Apogbon, CMS and other areas, and we cleared the stretch of the Lekki-Ajah axis.

“ We were able to improve certain levels of sanity around the axis. Cumulatively, we have been able to touch the five divisions in Lagos in terms of enforcement, and this is continuous.

“We are bent on improving the travel time for Lagos residents, especially during the peak period,” he said.

Bakare-Oki said that LASTMA was putting everything in place to improve traffic management in the state, adding that it had deployed over 2,000 traffic equipment.

NAN

Headline

Again, Russia Claims Another Village In Ukraine’s Region

Published

17 hours ago

August 25, 2025

Editor

The Russian army Monday claimed to have captured another village in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, moving deeper into Ukrainian territory as peace efforts stall.

Russian forces are slowly but steadily gaining ground in costly battles for largely devastated areas in eastern and central Ukraine, normally with few inhabitants or intact buildings left.

Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had seized the settlement of Zaporizke in the region, which Russian troops recently advanced into for the first time in the three-and-a-half-year offensive.

Kyiv denies that Russian troops have gained a foothold in the Dnipropetrovsk region, an important industrial hub.

After another push by US President Donald Trump to broker a Ukraine-Russia summit, hopes for peace dimmed when Russia last week ruled out any immediate meeting between presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky.

The central region of Dnipropetrovsk has previously been largely spared from fighting that has ravaged swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine, until Russia said its forces broke through in July.

Dnipropetrovsk is not one of the five Ukrainian regions — Donetsk, Kherson, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia and Crimea — that Moscow has publicly claimed as Russian territory.

Ukraine said Russia had launched over 100 drones Monday, killing a 37-year old civilian driver and wounding two people in the northeastern Sumy region.

Moscow said Kyiv had launched about two dozen drones targeting western Russia

Headline

US Comedian Reggie Carroll Shot Dead In Mississippi

Published

17 hours ago

August 25, 2025

Editor

A United States comedian, Reginald “Reggie” Carroll, has been shot dead in Southaven, Mississippi.

The 52-year-old Carroll, widely known as the Knockout King of Comedy, was reportedly killed on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds.

The Southaven Police Department confirmed the incident in a Facebook statement on Saturday.

“Southaven officers located one male victim suffering from gunshot wounds.

“The officers and medical personnel provided life saving techniques but the individual succumbed to his injuries,” the statement partly read.

The victim was later identified as Carroll, a Baltimore native.

Police said one suspect was arrested and charged with his murder.

“One male is in custody and has been charged with the murder of Reginald Carroll.

“Our thoughts are with the family of Mr. Carroll.

“Thank you to the community for their patience and understanding,” the department added.

The police further assured that there was no ongoing threat to residents, describing the case as “an isolated shooting.”

Carroll, who built his career in stand-up comedy, gained national recognition touring with Katt Williams and headlining his own showcase, Knockout Kings of Comedy.

He also featured in the 2000 edition of Showtime at the Apollo, appeared on the UPN sitcom The Parkers alongside Mo’Nique and Countess Vaughn, and starred in the 2022 television film Rent & Go.

In 2023, he produced the stand-up special Knockout Kings of Comedy.

The Southaven Police Department disclosed that an investigation into his death is ongoing.

Headline

US Defends New Social Media Vetting For Nigerian Visa Applicants

Published

17 hours ago

August 25, 2025

Editor

The U.S. Mission in Nigeria on Monday reaffirmed that the safety and security of the United States remain the cornerstone of its visa application and decision-making process.

The US said this following its directive last week that mandates Nigerians to disclose all social media usernames and handles used over the past five years as part of the visa application process.

US Mission said Nigerian visa applicants must provide a comprehensive list of their social media profiles on the DS-160 visa application form, and warned that omitting the information could lead to visa denials.

Reacting to the development, the Federal Government said US citizens intending to visit Nigeria will be subjected to the same measures.

“The best we can do is to carry out reciprocal action. Some people from the US might want to apply for a visa, and we will adopt the same measures,” spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said last Monday.

However, in a statement released Monday on X, the US Mission said prospective visa applicants undergo careful vetting to maintain a safe and welcoming environment in the US.

It said, “The safety and security of the United States is at the heart of every #USVisa application and decision process.

“That’s why prospective applicants undergo careful screening to ensure a safe and welcoming environment for all.”

The Mission added, “These measures help protect American citizens and communities while supporting secure and responsible travel.”