Coordinator of the Edo State Public Response Safety Team, Kelly Okungbowa, on Thursday, said a mobile court would soon be set up to try traffic offenders in the state.
He said anyone found guilty would face community service for a start because Governor Monday Okpehbolo had said nobody should be sent to prison for now.
Okungbowa stated this after the governor set up the team, which is meant to check frequent traffic especially in and around King’s Square, Benin City and other busy intersections.
The gridlock is often caused by indiscriminate parking, picking and dropping off of passengers by commercial bus drivers, and street trading among others.
Embarking on a sensitisation tour around the city centre with other members of the team, Okungbowa said the exercise was very important to enable the people to know about the team’s existence in order to ensure that law and order were restored.
“We are here to clear Ring Road and all the streets around King’s Square of illegal street trading, and wrong parking leading to gridlock around the city centre.
“The governor has introduced a Public Response Safety Team and our job is to clear the city centre and ensure all those traders on the streets and walkways, market women and drivers who trade and park indiscriminately are checked to ensure free flow of traffic.
“Bus and taxi drivers, marketwomen, street traders and all others who are in the habit of causing obstruction leading to traffic are warned to cease and ensure free flow of traffic in Benin City and across the state.
“We have not started arrest of defaulters yet, but rather we have just embarked on sensitisation to enable the people to know that the Edo State Government frowns upon illegal street trading, indiscriminate parking and picking of passengers.”
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