The Commissioner of Lagos State Command, CP Hakeem Odumosu yesterday declared a state of emergency on traffic management and control in the state.

This is barely two days after he took over as the new police boss in Lagos State.

He also ordered the immediate deployment of an additional one thousand police officers for traffic duties. Odumosu took the decision during an emergency meeting he summoned at the Command Headquarters to review the current traffic situation in the state.

In attendance at the emergency meeting were Deputy Commissioners of Police, Department of Finance and Administration, Department of Operations, Criminal Investigation Department and Rapid Response Squad. Also in attendance were Area Commanders, Area Operations Officers, State Traffic Officer, Divisional Traffic Officers across the state and the Chairman Lagos State Taskforce on Environmental and Special offences, among others.

The CP also reviewed the time-for-duty report for Traffic Officers to take care of the peak hours. Traffic Duty Officers would run shifts between 10.am and 10.pm, while the second shift would be 10.pm to 10.am, providing 24-hours coverage.

They would all operate in their usual reflective jackets.

According to Odumosu, “The measure would help in ensuring the free flow of traffic and would also curb the menace of traffic robbery”.

He urged Lagosians to accord police officers on traffic duties maximum cooperation in the discharge of their statutory duties.

“All road users are enjoined to obey traffic laws”, he said.