A traffic officer with the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) was stabbed by a commercial bus conductor during a traffic enforcement operation at Ile-Epo Market, inward Abule-Egba, along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.
The incident occurred after a LASTMA patrol team intercepted a Volkswagen commercial bus with registration number LSR 989 XG for allegedly causing traffic obstruction along the busy corridor.
According to a statement issued on Monday by LASTMA’s Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department, Adebayo Taofiq, the driver of the commercial bus resisted the enforcement exercise before the conductor, identified as Lekan Olasunkanmi, allegedly armed himself with a screwdriver and stabbed one of the officers during the confrontation.
The injured officer was immediately rushed to a nearby medical facility, where he received treatment and is said to be responding positively.
The statement added that the suspect was arrested and handed over to officers at the Abattoir Police Division for further investigation and possible prosecution. During preliminary interrogation, Olasunkanmi reportedly admitted bringing out the screwdriver and confessed that he mistakenly stabbed the LASTMA official during the altercation.
Reacting to the incident, the General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, condemned the attack, describing it as unacceptable and warning that the Lagos State Government would not tolerate assaults on traffic management personnel carrying out their lawful duties.
“Anyone found attacking LASTMA personnel in the course of their lawful duties will face the full weight of the law. Our officers are deployed across the state to facilitate the seamless movement of people, goods and services, as well as ensure compliance with 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 said.
Bakare-Oki also urged motorists, commercial transport operators and other road users to obey traffic regulations and cooperate with traffic management officials. He appealed to transport unions to sensitise their members on the need to respect law enforcement and traffic officers while carrying out their responsibilities.
