Bus conductor stabs LASTMA officer during traffic enforcement

A routine traffic enforcement operation turned violent on Monday after a commercial bus conductor allegedly stabbed a Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) officer with a screwdriver at Ile-Epo Market, inward Abule-Egba, along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.

The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority said the incident occurred when one of its patrol teams apprehended a Volkswagen commercial bus with registration number LSR 989 XG for allegedly causing severe traffic obstruction at the busy Ile-Epo Market corridor.

According to LASTMA, the driver of the commercial bus resisted the enforcement action, leading to a confrontation that escalated when the vehicle’s conductor, identified as Mr. Lekan Olasunkanmi, allegedly armed himself with a screwdriver and attacked one of the agency’s officers.

The officer sustained a stab wound during the altercation and was immediately rushed to a nearby medical facility, where he received emergency treatment. The agency said the injured officer is responding positively to treatment.

Following the attack, the matter was reported to the Abattoir Police Division, while the suspect was arrested and taken into police custody for further investigation and possible prosecution.

LASTMA disclosed that during preliminary police interrogation, Olasunkanmi reportedly admitted bringing out the screwdriver and confessed that he mistakenly stabbed the officer during the confrontation.

Reacting to the incident, the General Manager of LASTMA, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, condemned the assault, describing it as part of a disturbing trend of hostility and aggression against traffic management personnel carrying out their lawful duties.

He warned that the Lagos State Government would not tolerate attacks on officials responsible for maintaining order on the state’s roads.

“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,” Bakare-Oki said.

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 authorities is essential to achieving a safer, more efficient and orderly transportation system.

He 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 carrying out their responsibilities.

The statement was signed by Adebayo Taofiq, Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department of LASTMA.