A commercial bus conductor has been arrested for allegedly stabbing a Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) officer with a screwdriver during a routine 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 obstruction along the busy market corridor.
According to the Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment, LASTMA, Taofiq Adebayo in a statement issued on Monday, the situation turned violent when the driver reportedly resisted lawful enforcement, while the vehicle’s conductor, identified as Lekan Olasunkanmi, allegedly armed himself with a screwdriver and attacked one of the officers.
The injured officer sustained a stab wound during the altercation and was immediately rushed to a nearby medical facility for treatment. LASTMA said the officer is responding positively to medical care.
Following the incident, the suspect was arrested and handed over to officers at the Abattoir Police Division, where investigations have commenced.
Adebayo said preliminary police interrogation indicated that the suspect admitted bringing out the screwdriver during the confrontation and reportedly confessed that he mistakenly stabbed the traffic officer.
Commenting on the incident, the General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, condemned what he described as the growing trend of attacks on traffic management personnel while carrying out their lawful responsibilities.
“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 seamless movement of people, goods and services, as well as to 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,” Adebayo quoted Bakare-Oki as saying.
The LASTMA boss urged motorists, commercial transport operators and other road users to comply with the provisions of the Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law, 2018, stressing that cooperation with traffic management officials remains essential to achieving safer and more efficient road transportation.
He also appealed to transport unions and commercial vehicle operators to sensitise their members on the need to respect law enforcement and traffic management officers in the discharge of their duties.
“We urge transport unions, commercial vehicle operators and all road users to continue educating their members on the importance of respecting law enforcement and traffic management officials. Such cooperation is indispensable to maintaining order and ensuring the safety of all road users,” Adebayo said.
Police investigations into the incident are ongoing, while the suspect is expected to face prosecution in accordance with the law if found culpable.
