The Oyo State Road Transport Management Agency (OYRTMA) has yesterday commenced the immediate evacuation and impoundment of light and heavy duty articulated vehicles haphazardly parked along major highways across the State.
“The indiscriminate encroachment and conversion of our highways to illegal parks by either small or large scale companies is an act we completely frown act as it endangers the lives of law-abiding road users. In our capacity, we have written severally, with ultimatums, to these companies to evacuate their vehicles from the highway but they turned deaf hears”, posited Mogaji (Dr.) Akin Fagbemi, the Agency’s Executive Chairman who led the Special Operation.
Dr. Fagbemi further reiterated, “As an enforcement agency of the State, we are committed and statutorily backed to return sanity to the highways so as to ensure the safety of lives and properties as well as create an enabling environment for investors and consequently boosting the ease of doing business which is inline with the transformation agenda of the Executive Governor of Oyo State, His Excellency, Engr. Seyi Makinde.”
The Special Operation which was executed in conjunction with other security agencies including the Operation Burst kick-started with the Dugbe-Eleyele corridor where several trailers and articulated vehicles were illegally parked along the road causing unwarranted obstruction and risk to the lives of motorists plying the route.
Also addressing news men after the Operation, the OYRTMA State Commander, Mr. Ayoade Adeoye revealed that the exercise shall be continuous and holistic as no zone in the State would be neglected. He hinted that the fierce resistance exhibited by road traffic law-breakers in the State has become a thing of the past.
In his words, The Commander said, “in times past, many of our men and officers were assaulted and maimed during this kind of enforcement operations. As a matter of fact, we’ve lost at least two fine officers to the hands of these law breakers and several others with various degree of injuries but since the new Executive Chairman, Mogaji (Dr.) Akin Fagbemi was appointed by the visionary Governor of Oyo State, His Excellency, Engr. Seyi Makinde, OYRTMA has enjoyed enhanced collaboration with other security agencies including the Nigerian Army, NPF, Operation Burst, NSCDC et. al. who consolidates the effort of the Agency in bringing culprits to book”, he concluded.
