Dead Conductor: LASTMA Official Hospitalised, To Be Arraigned

pmnews-placeholder

The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA official, Mr. Lalemi Akinsoji who allegedly pushed a bus conductor to death last week has been hospitalised, says police authorities.

Akinsoji was alleged to have pulled down a bus conductor, Rasheed Alabi, from a moving bus last week while the conductor was crushed to death by an oncoming trailer.

The incident led to protest on the Old Toll Gate on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway by a mob, leading to traffic gridlock in the area until the police intervened.

The LASTMA official was almost beaten to death when the police rescued him.

The Lagos State Government at the weekend said it had handed three LASTMA suspects to the police in connection with the demise of the bus conducted.

However, the police have denied that three suspects were handed over to them, saying only one suspect was handed over to them.

Police Public Relations Officer of the State Police Command, Mr. Joseph Jaiyeoba, told P.M. NEWS this morning that only one LASTMA officer, Akinsoji was handed over to the Divisional Police Officer of Ketu Division for prosecution.

He disclosed that the suspect is currently being hospitalised as he sustained serious injuries from the mob who beat him when the incident occurred.

Related News

He said Akinsoji would be discharged from the hospital tomorrow and would be arraigned in court later by the police.

On Saturday, LASTMA said it had handed over three of its officers whose action allegedly caused the accident that led to the death of 24 year old Alabi in Lagos last Thursday, to the Nigeria Police for further investigations.

The General Manager of the Agency, Engr. Babatunde Edu who disclosed this in a statement said the suspects who were arrested in their various homes in the early hours of Friday , had been directed to stay away from their duty posts so as to allow the police to carry out proper investigations into the matter.

Edu reiterated the commitment of the Lagos State Government to ensure safety of life and property of the citizens and charged all officers of the agency to be more pro-active in the discharge of their duties and be civil in their dealings with motorists and members of the public as the state would not condone any act of indiscipline.

He explained that the state government has spent a lot of money in training and retraining of LASTMA officials and would not settle for anything less than a quality service delivery organisation, saying: “The desired results could only be achieved through the application of the laws that established the agency.”

Edu said LASTMA is not a revenue generating agency as being alleged by some people, but a traffic management organisation manned by dedicated and committed officers mandated to manage and control traffic in the state, a task which they had proved to be equal to over the years.

—Kazeem Ugbodaga

Load more