Sanwo-Olu’s aide explains why seized vehicles were auctioned

Gawat Jubril, the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on New Media, has provided information regarding the 134 vehicles that the state government would be auctioning off on September 15, 2022.

Social media users have been sharing a video of car owners sobbing and appealing for forgiveness as the government auctioned off their vehicles.

On social media, several Nigerians criticized the Lagos State Government for selling off the vehicles that had been impounded for traffic violations. They claimed that the judgment was unjust and unduly punitive.

In a series of tweets on his Twitter handle on Friday, September 16, 2022, Gawat explained that the vehicles were auctioned after the government got a court order to do so.

He continued by saying that some of the auctioned cars were forfeited for running red lights, while the owners had abandoned others.

He came to the conclusion that the auction exercise was meant to discourage people from committing crimes or traffic infractions because everyone would be punished if proven guilty. He said he thinks this initiative will discourage other road users who enjoy driving against the flow of traffic.