..…Nothing but baseless allegations and deliberate distortion of facts – OYRTMA
Our attention has been drawn to a viral video with the above caption making the rounds on social media as published by one @mzzmolade and circulated by @instablog9ja.
Normally, we would not have responded to the featherweight allegations contained therein for its lack of substance and apparent effort by serial traffic offenders to discredit, malign and blackmail hardworking and committed men and officers of the Authority. Therefore, this rebuttal became necessary to set straight, the myths from the facts and save unsuspecting members of the public from being deliberately misled.
A cursory glance at the said video during our preliminary investigations revealed that the alleged offender @mzzmolade committed at least three (3) grave traffic offences punishable under section 16 of the Oyo State Road Traffic Management Authority law, 2009 by vehicle impoundment, prosecution at the mobile traffic court and fines.
First, according to the Officers at the scene, corroborated by the viral video, the offender @mzzmolade either ignorantly or otherwise was on the ‘Yellow Box’ which according to road traffic rules MUST NOT be entered until the exit road or lane was clear or the traffic light indicates that one could move which was not the case in this scenario.
Secondly, the offender, was prior her arrest seen making phone calls whilst driving on the fast-lane and refused to stop when she was flagged down by the officers. Instead, she sped off, hoping to beat the traffic light and hence, stopping only on the forbidden ‘Yellow Box’.
Thirdly, as seen in the video, the offender was driving without her seatbelt fastened, another punishable offence under the law for which her vehicle was apprehended.
As against the baseless and unproven claims that our men and officers requested ‘something for the boys’, the offender who ab-initio arrogantly resisted arrest was caught up with by the Officers who could only access her vehicle through the back passengers door and in tandem with their professional training neither struggled the steering control with her nor abused her in any form as evidenced by the video. She was only directed to pull the car over for which she refused and was forcefully driving the officials away while making the video record that was later circulated in order to gain cheap popularity by blackmailing men and officers of the Authority as well as the @oyostategovt under His Excellency, Governor @seyi_amakinde.
The offender, having left the scene and made her video recordings with the arresting officers later began to beg profusely for pardon and mercy, promising she won’t do such again. She had to pull over at the Efunsetan round-about along the route that leads to our Operational Headquarters in Sanyo, Ibadan where her impounded vehicle was been directed. She reportedly called somebody whose true identity we could not confirm as at the time of filling this report but who she reported was a ‘top naval officer’ in Lagos who is also her father. Our officers did not yield but for the intervention of officers of the Nigerian Police Force with whom our officials frequently have joint operations, who pleaded for her release after the pledge never to commit the offences again. In the spirit of esprit-de-corps, our officers pardoned her without demanding any form of aggrandizement either in cash or kind.
It is therefore shocking that the same individual would for whatever reasons be alleging that officers and men of the Authority demanded for ‘something for the boys’. It is baseless, untrue and represents only a figment of her imaginations, thus, we beseech members of the public to discountenance the report in its entirety as our men and officers are committed to serving the State with the fear of God and dedication to the full enforcement of provisions of the Oyo State Road Traffic Management Authority Law, 2009.