Bus conductor stabs Lagos traffic agency LASTMA’s officer

The latest attack comes months after another LASTMA officer was allegedly stabbed with a broken bottle by a commercial bus driver.

A bus conductor allegedly stabbed an official of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) during a traffic enforcement operation at Ile-Epo Market along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway on Monday.

The agency’s General Manager, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, disclosed the incident in a statement, saying the attack occurred after a LASTMA patrol team stopped a Volkswagen commercial bus for allegedly obstructing traffic along the busy market corridor towards Abule-Egba.

According to him, the driver resisted the enforcement exercise before the situation escalated.

“The officer was carrying out his statutory responsibility of ensuring unobstructed vehicular movement and maintaining order on Lagos roadways.

“The driver of the commercial vehicle vehemently resisted lawful enforcement procedures.

“In a shocking escalation of events, the vehicle’s conductor armed himself with a screwdriver and violently attacked a LASTMA officer, inflicting a stab wound during the altercation,” Mr Bakare-Oki stated.

He said the injured officer was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he received emergency treatment and is responding positively.

Mr Bakare-Oki added that the incident was reported at the Abattoir Police Division, where the suspect was arrested and taken into custody for further investigation and possible prosecution.

The latest attack comes months after another LASTMA officer was allegedly stabbed with a broken bottle by a commercial bus driver during a traffic enforcement operation at Ojota Interchange. The officer sustained serious injuries and underwent emergency surgery, prompting renewed concerns over the safety of traffic officials on duty.

Expressing concern over the recurring attacks, Mr Bakare-Oki stressed that the Lagos State Government would not tolerate assaults, intimidation or harassment of officers carrying out their lawful responsibilities.

“Our officers are deployed across the state to facilitate seamless movement of people, goods and services, as well as ensure strict compliance with extant traffic regulations.

“Any act of violence against them constitutes an affront to public order and the rule of law and will not go unpunished,” he noted.

He urged motorists, commercial transport operators and other road users to obey traffic regulations as provided under the Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law, 2018.

Mr Bakare-Oki also appealed to transport unions to continue educating their members on the need to respect law enforcement and traffic management officers while carrying out their duties.