Scores of aggrieved Nigerian youths yesterday marched through the streets of Lagos in protest over lack of basic infrastructure, increased insecurity in the country and lack of progress in the fight against graft. Also, no fewer than 20 persons, who participated in the protest by commercial bus operators, otherwise known as Danfo against alleged high handedness of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) have been arrested, detained and charged to court. The protesting youths, under the aegis of “Enough is Enough”, who carried placards and chanted slogans, called for the probe of corrupt government officials and state agencies as they marched to the State House, Alausa where they handed a letter to Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, SAN. They demanded that "the government must show its seriousness in prosecuting alleged corrupt practices and in solving the problem of graft." The “Enough is Enough" coalition of prominent youth groups, demanded an immediate total overhaul of the country's security system, adding that "Nigerians are not safe.” Citing the intermittent sectarian clashes in Jos, Plateau State, which claimed hundreds of lives, as well as frequent kidnappings and assassinations across the country, the protesters -- numbering about 500 -- also demanded in the letter that electoral reforms be carried out before the 2011 polls, which would "present the clearest path towards transparent and corruption-free elections". But in the case of the Danfo operators, their protest, which started peacefully, but later turned violent, was organised by the Association of Danfo Drivers in Lagos State, protesting alleged high-handedness and harassment of LASTMA against its members. Speaking at the conference, Opeifa expressed his displeasure about the disorderliness, adding that it was a plan by some disgruntled persons to disrupt the peace in the state. He alleged that the protesters were used to create a state of insecurity and lawlessness in the state, stating that National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) “is not at loggerheads with LASTMA”. He added that more than 20 persons had been arrested by the operatives of the Lagos State Task Force on Environmental and Special Offences and taken to the Magistrate’s court for prosecution. NURTW Secretary, Mr. Kayode Adeyangi and Opeifa had in separate statements denied the involvement of their members and officials respectively in the fracas. He however called on the public to support the present administration in curbing the excesses of hoodlums who had continually attacked officials of LASTMA. “Every day, we record a LASTMA official being attacked and wounded by these hoodlums. They are also human beings and I think, we should appreciate the great job they are doing in the society in terms of traffic management,” he said. Meanwhile, Opeifa also alerted that scores of people have been parading themselves on the streets of Lagos metropolis as officials of LASTMA. The special adviser said: “There are now fake LASTMA officials in the state who have been extorting motorists in the guise of controlling traffic”. He said that most of the fake officials parade Oshodi, Orile and Mile 2 areas of the state wearing LASTMA uniform but with no caps and name tags to identify them. He explained that most of them connive with the police to perpetrate nefarious activities, calling on members of the public to be wary of their antics. He added: “Our investigation revealed that these set of hoodlums always demand the sum of N100,000 for their victims to be set free. They drive their victims to the gate of LASTMA office, cajole them to part with some money or risk higher fees if they are eventually taken to the LASTMA yard.” Source: Thisdayonline.com