A lawyer, Somina Johnbull, said attacks, abductions and killing of traffic officers in the country would persist until existing obsolete traffic laws were reviewed.

Johnbull, who is the Secretary, Nigeria Bar Association, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, advocated urgent amendment to the traffic laws to enable the country to catch up with current trend.

He said, “Amendment becomes imperative because traffic offences and the prescribed punishment seem to be like a slap on the wrist, which is why people can afford to breach traffic laws with impunity.

“In developed countries, the cases of offences that border on the usage of the road are taken seriously. But in Nigeria, even when you cross the red light or speeding, the laws are not enforced. My take on this pathetic state of affairs is that we must pursue enforcement and have an amendment that deals with immediate prosecution and punishment of traffic offenders.

“To get the situation right, these uniformed personnel, who flout traffic laws, should be used as scapegoats. When that is done, coupled with strong traffic laws, the problems of traffic enforcement would be reduced considerably.’’

In this article: