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The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has confirmed that one Mr. Adetayo Adewodun, aged 47, who was earlier apprehended for impersonating a LASTMA officer and fraudulently extorting the sum of ₦7,800 from an unsuspecting motorist at Itire Junction, has been remanded by the Lagos Mobile Court following his arraignment on a two-count charge bordering on conduct likely to cause a breach of peace and impersonation.
The accused, who pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against him by the Lagos State Government, was consequently ordered to be remanded in a correctional facility pending the perfection of his bail conditions, as the matter was adjourned for further hearing.
It would be recalled that the suspect was apprehended by LASTMA operatives on Tuesday, 7th October, 2025, during a swift enforcement operation executed by the Agency’s Surveillance and Intelligence Unit, acting under the directive of the General Manager, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki.
The suspect, in concert with two other accomplices now at large, accosted one Mr. Ayano Stephen, the driver of a white Hilux vehicle (registration number GME 259 TE) for allegedly making an unlawful turn around Itire Junction. Posing as a bona fide LASTMA operative, Mr. Adewodun deceitfully demanded the sum of ₦80,000 as a purported penalty for the alleged traffic infraction.
The unsuspecting motorist eventually parted with ₦7,800, the only cash in his possession, which he reluctantly handed over to the impostor.
The General Manager of LASTMA, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, described the arraignment and subsequent remand of the suspect by a competent court of law as a welcome and commendable development, asserting that justice must take its due course in accordance with the dictates of the law.
He emphasized that this judicial action would serve as a stern deterrent to other unscrupulous elements who habitually impersonate LASTMA officers to defraud innocent members of the public under false pretences.
Mr. Bakare-Oki further reaffirmed the Authority’s unwavering commitment to its statutory mandate of entrenching order, discipline, and sanity across Lagos roads, while ensuring that law-abiding citizens are adequately protected from fraudulent exploitation and harassment.
Adebayo Taofiq
Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department of LASTMA
