By Dayo Oyewo
A distraught-looking Moses Salami was seen limping and pacing along the corridor of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority around 2:55pm under the scorching sun on Friday, September 2, 2022.
The 72-year-old commercial bus driver needed someone who would either help him add N3,500 to the N11,500 with him so he could retrieve his bus or assist in talking to one of the LASTMA officials who had arrested him, impounded his vehicle and asked him to pay a sum of N15,000.
Having watched him roam helplessly while his bus conductor trailed after him for close to thirty minutes, our correspondent decided to approach him. Salami, who saw this as an opportunity he had been waiting for, did not waste time as he started narrating his ordeals.
Moses, who plies Idumota to Oshodi, said the officials stopped him and claimed to have snapped him at Ojuelegba bus stop for violating traffic rules. Although shocked by the allegation, Salami said he demanded for the picture but his request was rebuffed.
“I was coming from Ikorodu and when I got to Anthony, this man called Yemi stopped me and put the iron across the road. I asked what my offence was but he did not answer me. He just said I should come down. That was when the other officer called Fashola dragged me out of the bus. I know them. Look at me, I am an old man and I have been on this road for 22 years. I cannot tell a lie. So, I came down, and then Yemi asked them to tow my vehicle to Oshodi. That was when he said they snapped my picture when I stopped at Ojuelegba, which was untrue.
“Before God and man, I loaded at Idumota and my first stop was Onipanu. Whenever we load at Idumota, we tell Ojuelegba, barracks and Agip passengers not to board the bus. So, Fadeyi had always been our first bus stop, even on the said day, I did not stop at Fadeyi but at Onipanu. And after Onipanu, I stopped at Palmgrove, then Anthony, where they arrested me. And when I asked them to show me the picture, they did not show me.’’
When asked if he was booked for an offence, Moses said he was not booked, adding that proof of his offence was also not shown to him. He said, They did not give me any ticket. They just asked me to go and bring N15,000 and I only had N11,500 with me. What they are doing is illegal work I know them very well. Yemi, who they call Yemiton has one star and one eagle. If you can assist me, I will appreciate it. If I don’t bring my bus out today, the next opportunity will be on Monday. I don’t know what to do and my wife is in the village asking me to send money to her.’’
Much as our correspondent did not want to disclose his identity, all efforts to intervene on the driver’s behalf proved abortive. One of the officers who arrested him was also seen to have changed from his uniform to a mufti and perhaps was ready to go home but had to wait for Moses to pay the money. “How far, you don bring am?” he asked Moses, who led our correspondent discreetly to where his bus was parked since people were not allowed to go into the yard where the impounded vehicles were parked.
While looking around to help Moses, our correspondent stumbled on Godfrey, another bus driver who was arrested for the same offence. The fair-looking middle-aged man was similarly pleading with the officer who arrested him. When asked what led to his arrest, Godfrey, who plies Yaba to Oshodi and was arrested at Anthony bus stop, said he was told that he committed a traffic offence a few days back, with a picture of his bus taken in the process.
Godfrey said, “I asked them what my offence was, but they did not tell me. One of them later said I committed a traffic offence some days ago and they took a picture of my bus. When I asked them to show me the picture, they started to scroll through their phones but they still failed to show me. This got my passengers, most of whom are students angry as they joined me in demanding that they provided the picture. One of the students started to record the officers and this got them angry and they insisted on bringing my bus to Oshodi. When I got here, they still did not show me any record or photo of my offence when I asked, but since my bus has been impounded, there was no point claiming any right again other than to look for the money. I am a widower and I have children to fend for.”
It was not too long after that the officer, Akiode S. who arrested him showed up and they began another round of negotiation after insisting on collecting N20,000.
While Moses eventually paid N13,000, Godfrey paid N15,000.
LASTMA rules, background
