By Hope O’Rukevbe Eghagha
Last week, officials of the Lagos
State government auctioned 134 vehicles that had been impounded from traffic
offenders.
It was a tough measure, indeed, insensitive considering the harsh economic climate that we live in. Some of those vehicles were bought on hire purchase. There was the example of a 49-year-old widow Dorothy Dike whose bus was auctioned. The tears in her eyes and the painful expression on her face broke the hearts of many.
It was reported that her driver Osinachi Ndukwe, had spent three
months in prison for the offence. Yet they were compelled to look on as their
only source of livelihood ‘bought at the rate of N1.8million on hire purchase
was auctioned for N450,000’.
Law enforcement should carry a human face. What kind of law prescribes a jail term of 3 months and forfeiture of a vehicle for driving against traffic? Inhuman and insensitive. Bad law. Wicked law. Callous.
