Lagos traffic agency denies viral misconduct claim, says internal review revealed no supporting proof.
Complainant failed to provide officer details, vehicle numbers or hospital records to back post.
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has denied allegations of misconduct made against its officers by a social media user, stating that an internal investigation found no evidence to support the claims.
The allegation was made by Mr. Chiemelie Kyrian Offor, who accused unnamed LASTMA personnel of inappropriate conduct around the Iponri area of Surulere on Wednesday, June 18. His post quickly went viral and drew public attention, prompting a swift reaction from the traffic agency.
In a statement signed by LASTMA’s Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment, Mr. Adebayo Taofiq, the agency disclosed that it immediately began a formal review after learning of the social media post.
According to the statement, the review included questioning officers assigned to the Iponri-Surulere axis on the said date, reviewing duty rosters and operational logs, and even attempting to contact Mr. Offor via his X (Twitter) account to obtain more information.
“Despite our outreach, Mr. Offor has not provided any further details such as vehicle registration numbers, officer descriptions, or any form of verifiable evidence,” Mr. Taofiq said. “In addition, our checks revealed that no hospital by the name ‘Faithview Hospital,’ as mentioned in his post, exists within the Surulere area.”
Based on these findings, LASTMA stated that there was no factual or operational basis to confirm the allegations made in the viral post.
While denying wrongdoing, the agency emphasized its commitment to ethical practices and called on members of the public to report any cases of unprofessional behavior through proper channels. It also reminded Lagos residents of its toll-free complaint line, 080000527862, created to receive real-time feedback from the public.
“LASTMA remains open to investigating any credible report of misconduct, but such investigations can only be carried out when there is sufficient, verifiable information,” the statement added. “We encourage Mr. Offor or any other witnesses to provide useful details that can assist our efforts.”
The agency assured Lagosians that it maintains a zero-tolerance policy for any form of unprofessionalism among its personnel and reiterated its focus on providing efficient, fair, and people-focused traffic management services.
“We are here to serve the public and are committed to doing so with integrity and transparency,” Taofiq concluded.
As of the time of the statement’s release, Mr. Offor had not issued any public follow-up or responded to LASTMA’s call for more evidence.
