Apapa/Oshodi Gridlock: Area ‘B’ Command policemen, LASTMA abandon duty post, as Motorists suffer

The perennial gridlock along the Apapa/Oshodi expressway, Lagos, reached its heights, as all exit points leading in and out of the route from the Berger Yard end, were blocked by deviant truck drivers.

Sadly, policemen, officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, and other traffic officials saddled with the responsibility of controlling traffic along the axis, looked the other way, as motorists were stranded for hours.

As of 9pm, some administrative staff of Vanguard who left the office since 6.30p.m. were still trapped in the gridlock.

Trucks were also parked along the only entrance leading in and out of Vanguard‘s corporate headquarters. Investigation revealed that rather than control the truck drivers to keep to a lane, in order to allow other road users access, policemen and other concerned officials were busy collecting ‘tolls’ from them (truck drivers).

The Area  ‘B’ Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police, ACP, Akinbayo Olasoji, under whose jurisdiction the axis falls, was not seen on the ground. This brazen disregard for traffic rules by truck drivers has been ongoing for over five years, despite threats by the federal and state governments to sanction them accordingly.

At the time of writing this report, vehicular movement was still at a standstill. Motorists could not navigate their ways through the three alternative roads that lead to the expressway, outward Apapa. (Saturday Vanguard)