The Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency, TRACE, has reacted to assertions made on a Facebook video post against the agency by a driver with a broken down truck on the Ota-Atan highway, describing it as baseless, a mere conjecture and a clear distortion of the facts of what really transpired.

Cdr. Babatunde Akinbiyi, the Public Relation Officer of the agency, speaking on behalf of Cdr. Adedayo Omonayajo, the Acting TRACE Commander General/CE, further said, the offender, whose truck broke down on the highway, had been informed earlier by the TRACE officials on ground that the truck would have to be towed off the road to ease traffic flow, in view of the busy nature of the route, and more so that the road is not a mechanic workshop.

Adding that there was no mention of any amount for the towing, since the Agency does not operate towing vans, but operated by private individuals, who are in the best position to name their service charge, Akinbiyi posited that the towing operators have not being called for negotiations before the trucker, to the chagrin of TRACE officials went into a frenzy, mentioning a figure, ranting in the process and made efforts to attack the officials who tried to stop him videoing them.

The TRACE spokesman in his words said, “On investigation by the Agency, it was discovered that the figure he was quoting was the sum street urchins and area boys wanted to extort from him, which is their normal practice anytime a truck breaks down on the road, and most often however, officials of the Agency steps in to the rescue by engaging with the street boys, until there is an intervention from the Nigeria Police or any other security agency, on the beckon of TRACE, to ward them off.” He added.

Stressing that the same process was being undertaken by their men, trying to engage these boys, who insisted on collecting a certain outrageous amount, making our men to put up a resistance on behalf of the trucker, while awaiting Police back-up, only to be jolted by the fiery angst displayed by the driver, which he recorded on camera before pushing it online.

“The Agency therefore, wishes to use this medium to uneviquocally denounce the Facebook video. It as an obnoxious attempt at disparaging TRACE as an agency of government charged with the administration and control of road traffic matters, by a misguided trucker, who threw reasons to the wind, ending up fighting the very institution trying to salvage his situation.

“It is never the practice of the Agency nor any of its officials to ask any offender to pay money without first instituting an official booking, accompanied with offence ticket(s) enumerating the various offences and the stipulated fines, and which can be appealed by the traffic offender through the TRACE Servicom Unit and other designated authorities in Ogun State.

E-SIGNED.
CDR. BABATUNDE AKINBIYI.
TRACE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER (M&S).