Two traffic officers and a policeman lost their lives in Apapa, Lagos since the Federal Government launched an initiative to restore smooth traffic in the area.
Executive Vice-Chairman of the Presidential Taskforce on Apapa Restoration of Law and Order in Apapa, Mr. Kayode Opeifa, stated this in Lagos, yesterday.
Opeifa said several taskforce personnels sustained injuries in the course of their duties.
“It is not good to announce it, but we have recorded fatalities. I am afraid to say it because it will be on the headlines.
“The first day we started the restoration of law and order, we lost a LASTMA officer by accident. A truck was reversing and the LASTMA lady was behind.
“Recently, we lost another LASTMA officer who was stoned to death. We also lost a police officer, who was crushed. We have several people that were hit. I am also a victim of an accident in the course of discharging my duties; I was lucky to escape with a damaged vehicle. My vehicle was hit, but thank God nobody died. This happens continuously. People were losing limbs and losing their hands,” Opeifa said.
On the number of people arrested in the course of the exercise, Opeifa said he had lost count. He said he could only recall that over 120 traffic violators were arrested on the first day of the operation.
He said the main focus of the team was to rid the area of traffic and not to pick trucks as there was nowhere to put them after arrests were made.