NOTWITHSTANDING the outcry over low awareness campaign, the Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Adeniji Kazeem, has assured residents that the Mobile Court would dispense justice in accordance with the dictates of the law and respect for fundamental human rights.
The State Government had a fortnight ago, inaugurated the Special Offences (Mobile) Court to summarily deal with growing cases of traffic and environmental abuses in the State.
Kazeem said that the introduction of the court was one of the ways through which Governor Akinwunmi Ambode aims to broaden the pathway that guarantees citizens’ access to justice and at the same time ensure the preservation of civility in the society.
While assuring that the Mobile Court would be operated in accordance with rules of natural justice and fair hearing, Kazeem said the constitutional rights of defendants, being innocent until proven guilty, would be respected and upheld.
Besides, the Attorney General said the prosecution of defendants appearing before the court would be handled by lawyers in the Ministry of Justice, and that he would directly supervise the operation of the prosecuting counsel.
He said that there would be lawyers from the Office of the Public Defender (OPD) to defend any defendant who so desires to be defended, while defendants can also appoint any lawyer of their choice to defend them.
He explained that the development was an institutional reaction to identified societal challenges, and that henceforth traffic offenders such as motorcyclists who drive against traffic rules and refuse to obey traffic signs like zebra crossing and traffic light indication, would no longer find it easy to get away with commission of such crimes in the state.
Kazeem also said commercial bus drivers, popularly known as Danfo drivers, on motion with their doors open thereby endangering lives of those of their passengers and other road users, would equally be prosecuted before the Mobile Court, while anyone crossing the highway where pedestrian bridges are provided, would equally face trial.
He disclosed that henceforth, driving on Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lanes of non-designated vehicles by anyone, including military personnel would attract prosecution before the Mobile Court.
He warned people to desist from parking at undesignated places and indulging in noise pollution and street trading among others stressing that such offences would be handled by the court.
His words: “These set of offences appear to be so simple but the reduction of its commission I believe is a major yardstick in determining how much we have progressed as a civilized society.
“It may seem simple, but its significance and expected impact to the society is a lot more profound,” Kazeem said.
The courts, which had so far sat at Oshodi-Isolo, Ogba, Ikeja, Agege, and Ikorodu, had prosecuted about 100 persons for various traffic and environmental offences.
Last Tuesday, no fewer than 23 Lagos residents in the Ikorodu area of the state were tried for various traffic offences at the new Mobile Courts.
The offenders, ranging from commercial bus drivers, tricycle operators and motorcyclists, were arrested by men of the Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Unit (Task Force) from Mile 12 inward Ikorodu roundabout.
They were all immediately charged to mobile court presided over by Magistrate Nurudeen Layeni at the Ikorodu Local Government.
The Guardian gathered that seven motorcyclists plying restricted routes at Owode-Elede along Ikorodu road were convicted and fined N10,000 each as an option to a six month imprisonment.
Three commercial bus drivers allegedly dropping and picking passengers at an unauthorized bus stop at Mile 12 were convicted with N15,000 fine and 48 hours community services as an option to a six- month imprisonment.
An unpainted commercial bus that drove against the traffic was fined N20,000 with 100 hours community service and had his bus confiscated.
Also, a total of nine tricycle operators arrested for obstructing traffic at Ikorodu roundabout were convicted and fined N10,000 each as an option to a six months imprisonment.
Three arrested traffic light offenders were discharged and acquitted due to lack of diligent prosecution and evidence by the prosecuting counsel.
Meanwhile, at the Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Courts at Ogba, Ikeja, more than 55 miscreants and street traders, brought from various Police Divisions across the State, were prosecuted, convicted and fined N5,000 each as an option to six months imprisonment.
While inaugurating the Court, the Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Olufunmilayo Atilade, had said that with the launch of the Mobile Court, the era of recklessness and lawlessness on Lagos roads were gone for good, “as no government would fold its arms and watch the violation of traffic and environmental laws.”
Atilade, who recalled the death of a 25-year-old British-Nigerian graduate, Doyin Serah Fagbenro who was killed by a reckless Danfo driver about three weeks ago in Lekki-Ajah area of Lagos, said the story of the victim was just one of the many deaths occurring as a result of reckless driving and indiscipline.
According to her, “This must not be allowed to continue. Let it be known to all that the era of recklessness and impunity on our public roads and highways in Lagos State is gone. Those who chose to make life difficult for other people, especially on our roads, should have a rethink as they will henceforth be held accountable for their deeds,” Atilade warned
Commending the initiative, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Dr. Joseph Nwobike has lauded Ambode and the state judiciary for coming up with the bold initiative, saying the Mobile Court would discourage people from violating traffic and environmental laws in the state.
He said: “This is the best time for it when there are so many cases of unmitigated infraction of environmental laws and traffic regulations in Lagos. I think what the governor and those who head the judiciary have done is to provide a platform that will, by way of trial and punishment, discourage people from engaging in abuse of environmental laws and disobedience of traffic rules.
“I will, however, urge that there should be a synergy between the traffic management agency in Lagos and the police in ensuring that this opportunity becomes effective and then allow it to work.
“I will also call on government to see the possibility of engaging environmental and traffic volunteers to volunteer useful information to government so as to boost tracking and the punishment processes,” Nwobike said.
Another Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and rights activist, Femi Falana, said the action of Ambode over the court was a progressive development, which would enforce discipline and sanity on Lagos roads, as well as the environment.
According to Falana, “It is a progressive development. I have just advised the Attorney General that we would not allow the police and the traffic officials to detain people illegally but I have been assured that the penalty for most of the traffic offences shall be community service, which I think is a very progressive development. That is going to enforce discipline on our roads and sanity to the system,” he said.
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