……..Agency Vows Legal Action Against Suspect
Emmanuel Ikpeama.
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has condemned the stabbing of one of its officers by a commercial bus conductor during a routine traffic enforcement operation at Ile-Epo Market, inward Abule-Egba, along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.
The incident occurred when a LASTMA patrol team apprehended a Volkswagen commercial bus with registration number LSR 989 XG for allegedly causing traffic obstruction along the busy Ile-Epo Market corridor.
According to the agency, the driver resisted the enforcement exercise, while the vehicle’s conductor, identified as Lekan Olasunkanmi, allegedly armed himself with a screwdriver and attacked a LASTMA officer, inflicting a stab wound during the confrontation.
The injured officer was immediately taken to a nearby medical facility, where he received emergency treatment and is reportedly responding positively to medical care.
Following the attack, the incident was reported at the Abattoir Police Division, where the suspect was arrested and taken into custody for further investigation and possible prosecution.
LASTMA disclosed that during preliminary police interrogation, the suspect admitted to producing the screwdriver and reportedly confessed that he mistakenly stabbed the officer during the altercation.
Reacting to the incident, the General Manager of LASTMA, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, described the attack as a disturbing reminder of the growing hostility faced by traffic management personnel while carrying out their lawful responsibilities.
He stressed that the Lagos State Government would not tolerate any form of assault, intimidation, harassment or violence against officers entrusted with maintaining order on the state’s roads.
Bakare-Oki warned that anyone found attacking LASTMA personnel in the course of their duties would face the full weight of the law, noting that the agency remains committed to ensuring the free flow of traffic, safeguarding public safety and enforcing compliance with extant traffic regulations.
He further urged motorists, commercial transport operators and other road users to comply with the provisions of the Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law, 2018, emphasizing that cooperation with traffic management authorities is essential to building a safer, more efficient and orderly transportation system.
The LASTMA General Manager also appealed to transport unions and commercial vehicle operators to continually educate their members on the need to respect law enforcement and traffic management officials while discharging their statutory duties.