Efforts by the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) to phase out cash transactions in the state’s regulated public transport system have begun to yield results, as four individuals have been sentenced to jail for engaging in unauthorized cash collections.

This was disclosed in a statement released on Wednesday by LAMATA’s Head of Corporate Communications, Kolawole Ojelabi.

According to the statement, the convicted offenders Aiyankhe Samuel, Ejikeme Nkendinma, Ajayi Oluwafemi, and Sakiru Ajani pleaded guilty to a three-count charge of unlawfully collecting cash from passengers on LAMATA-regulated buses.

In one of the cases, Chief Magistrate F.J. Adefioye ruled that there was no justification for “stealing government money meant for the development of all and sundry.”

The court found that Aiyankhe Samuel, operating along the Abule-Egba axis within the Lagos Magisterial District, stole ₦16,200 belonging to the Lagos State Government, an offence contrary to Section 280(1) and (2) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015. He was convicted on three counts and handed a sentence with the longest term being five months’ imprisonment.

Similarly, the prosecution established that Ejikeme Nkendinma, Ajayi Oluwafemi, and Sakiru Ajani demanded and collected unauthorized levies from passengers and converted the proceeds for personal use.

The trial magistrate condemned their actions, describing them as harmful to both the unsuspecting public and the state, which depends on internally generated revenue to fund development.

The trio were also convicted on three counts each and sentenced to terms with the longest being five months’ imprisonment.

Ojelabi reiterated that LAMATA remains committed to achieving a cashless payment system in the state’s regulated transport operations to ensure transparency and accountability.