To tackle persistent traffic congestion in the state, the Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has inaugurated the Edo State Public Response Safety Team (PRST).
The gridlocks particularly around King Square in Benin City and other busy intersections are attributed largely to illegal parking, passenger drop-offs, and street trading.
During a city-wide sensitization tour, the PRST Coordinator, Kelly Okungbowa, emphasized the importance of educating the public about the team’s mission to restore order and ensure free traffic flow.
Okungbowa announced that the state government would soon establish a mobile court to prosecute offenders, adding that guilty individuals would initially face community service rather than imprisonment.
“We are here to clear Ring Road and all the streets around King Square of illegal street trading, wrong parking leading to traffic gridlock around the city centre.
“The governor has introduced 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, market women, street traders and all others who are in the habit of causing obstruction leading to traffic gridlock are warned to desist and ensure free flow of traffic in Benin City and across the State,” Okungbowa said.
He stressed that the current operation focuses on raising awareness rather than immediate arrests, urging street traders, market women, and bus drivers to comply with regulations.
“We have not started arresting defaulters yet, but rather we have just embarked on sensitization to enable the people to know that the Edo State government frowns at illegal street trading, indiscriminate parking and picking of passengers.
“It is for them to know that the State government will not condone illegality and lawlessness. It can’t be business as usual as the government has given us the mandate to clear the city centre and environs, ensuring we restore law and order and allow free flow of traffic.
“A mobile Court will be set up by the State Government to try offenders and if found guilty will be made to face community service. This will be for a start as the governor said for now nobody should be sent to prison,” he added.
To support the initiative, security agencies will work alongside PRST to enforce compliance. Market traders have been directed to return to designated spaces, and drivers are required to vacate areas around King Square.
The operation will run in two shifts: 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the morning team, and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. for the afternoon team.
“We have the security agencies with us on this operation ensuring that the law is enforced. We are creating awareness from now till Saturday. We have asked the market women to all move inside the market and asked drivers to relocate away from the King Square.
“In carrying out this task, we will have two shifts, one in the morning from 7am to 4pm while the afternoon shift will start from 4pm to 8pm daily. This is our plan as Edo must be clean and neat,” Okungbowa concluded.
