An angry Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State on Wednesday ordered two officials of the state traffic management agency to be arrested after he caught them with fake documents with which they had been defrauding motorists.
The EDSTMA, patterned in the line of the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA), was recently disbanded by the governor following reports of the fraudulent activities of its officials.
However, the governor said he continued to receive reports of the nefarious activities of officers of the agency despite the order from him that the agency be disbanded.
Oshiomhole, who paid an unscheduled visit to the office of the agency, caught the officials with fake receipts and other documents.
The governor said: “the government had received lots of complaints from both government officials and members of the public concerning the illegal activities and extortion by members of the disbanded agency.
“Our visit to this office has confirmed all the allegations against EDSTMA, as we have seen some fake receipts that had been issued as well as a fake list of traffic offences.
“We have also discovered from the responses of some of the so called officials of the agency interrogated that they neither have employment letters nor even identification cards.
“I want to say it here again that we have since disbanded EDSTMA; hence anybody they stop should take them to the nearest police station.
“We will, immediately, set up a committee that will commence the prosecution of any person claiming to be an EDSTMA staff.
“Government will not accept thuggery in this state, just as government did not mandate the agency to collect any money on its behalf, cash collected are illegal’.”
While appealing to the public not to give money to any person under the guise of traffic manager, Oshiomhole also directed that all vehicles impounded by the agency be released to their owners and monies collected from motorists be refunded.
He said he only established the agency to give traffic control a human face.
