52 Traffic Managers Sacked For Fraud

More than 52 staff of the Edo State Traffic Management Agency (EDSTMA) have been sacked for allegedly extorting money from traffic offenders.

Mr. Victor Enoghama, Edo Commissioner for Transport, gave the figure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin.

Enoghama said that among the 52 traffic officers were those that committed offences ranging from negligence, abuses, fraud and lateness to work, among others.

He said that the ministry had zero tolerance for extortion, adding that any officer caught in the act of extortion, would be sacked from the ministry.

The commissioner said: “A very recent example is that two of the more than 52 traffic managers fired from the ministry were caught extorting money from a former Edo High Court Judge.

“Again, some couple of weeks ago, we equally fired two men, who were found extorting money from a man who was actually recording the transactions between him and the traffic managers with his cell phones.

“As we speak, two traffic managers are on their way here for extorting N1,000 from a man in Ogida area, so I have asked that they should be brought here.”

The commissioner said that the ministry would not condone lateness to work, as it had been forced to fire some unrepentant late comers after warning them so many times.

He attributed the boom in the transport ministry to new innovations, determination of its leadership in organising the sector.

He said that he had to re-engineer the ministry to ensure that the Fire Service, Road Traffic Management and the state-owned transport were revived to meet the yearnings and aspirations of the Edo people.

The commissioner also said that the ministry was working on a book to be known as Edo State Driving Book.

He explained that the book would help drivers in Edo to understand Edo driving rules, signs and traffic laws.