By Moses Akaigwe
The Lagos State Government has again placed an indefinite suspension on the entire ad-hoc teams of Committee on Removal of Abandoned Vehicles (RAVC) operating in the 20 Local Governments (LGs) and 37 Local Council Development Area (LCDAs) in Lagos State with immediate effect.
The suspension which was contained in a directive issued to the Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Frederic Oladeinde, by the Governor of Lagos State, was as a result of several complaints of extortion and harassment of members of the public by RAVC.
The directive indicates that the malpractices have been causing embarrassment to the state government despite several reviews conducted on the operational guidelines of the team.
The directive warned that any ad-hoc team found operating after this notice would be handed over to the law enforcement agencies for trial and prosecution in accordance with the law of the state as captured in the Traffic Sector Reform Law (TSRL) 2018.
The directive while requesting the general public to take note of the order also advise abandoned vehicles owners which hitherto pose as environmental nuisances, security and traffic impediment to remove them from the roads as this directive is not an excuse for negligence of the Traffic Laws of the State.