Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, on Tuesday, ordered the arrest of two top Military officers for driving on the restricted Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lane.
The officers, Colonel K Yusuf, and Staff Sergeant A. Adeomi, were accosted by the governor on the BRT lane at Outer Marina in Central Lagos.
Colonel Yusuf was driving an Army Green Peugeot 406 while Staff Sergeant Adeomi A.J. was in a black Toyota Camry.
Fashola expressed disappointment that military officers expected to be disciplined were the ones violating BRT regulation.
Colonel Yusuf repeatedly saluted and kept muttering “I am sorry, very, very sorry” in response to Fashola’s queries.
The arrest, however, drew the attention of commuters and passersby, who commended Fashola for displaying good leadership.
Following the incident, the governor described the officers as “a very bad example for the Military”.
He said he had been assured by superior officers in the military that the culprits would be appropriately sanctioned for their action.
“But it signifies my commitment and the commitment of the Lagos State Government that all those who will not comply with our laws should leave our State; we will not back down,” he said.
“There is zero tolerance for lawlessness. There is zero tolerance for breach of our regulations and we are going to do more of this. We are going to take control over our traffic.”
Condemning the act of breaking traffic regulations, Fashola stressed that even he, the governor, abides by state laws and regulations.
“I don’t use the BRT lane. I sit down in traffic and I expect everyone who wants to drive his car to do the same. The alternative is to use the bus,” he said.
“The bus is for those who cannot afford to buy cars. They have the right also to use the road and we cannot encroach on that lane which we have reserved for them. This is democratisation of the road and I will defend it.”
The BRT lanes are restricted to the state mass transit buses, namely the BRT and the LAGBUS.
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