TRANSPORT DAY EDITORIAL
17 year old Kehinde Alade was shot dead last month by a Police officer while a team of the Oyo State Road Traffic Management Authority (OYRTMA) accompanied by Policemen were chasing a motorist for driving against traffic (One-Way driving).
According to eyewitnesses, the policeman shot at the vehicle (apparently aiming at the tyre), when the driver of the vehicle, who is the father of the deceased, allegedly refused to stop after he was flagged to pull over. Unfortunately, the bullet killed the young lad, who, alongside others, was being conveyed to school to write the West Africa Examinations (WAEC).
“The car was coming from Aba-Ode and heading toward Olatundun. The driver saw the police and tried to turn back, but the officers pursued and opened fire. The bullet pierced the back of the car and hit the boy,” said an eyewitness.
This is not the first time this type of incident will occur, as several other incidents like this have led to the cutting short of the lives of so many innocent Nigerians. There have been so many other cases in the past.
In Lagos for instance, it is not uncommon to see armed men either on their own or with men of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) enforcing road traffic regulations. A clear case is on the Mile 12-Ikorodu road, where policemen are always stationed, enforcing lane adherence, on a road that the markings are almost faded away!
We think that it is abnormal for armed men to be saddled with the responsibility of enforcing road traffic laws, as this has led to so many unnecessary issues.
It is high time the government withdraws armed men from road traffic enforcement duties. Government can easily deploy technology (happily, Lagos state is already doing this on some selected routes).
