A Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) officer has been injured after allegedly being 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 when a LASTMA patrol team stopped a Volkswagen commercial bus with registration number LSR 989 XG for allegedly obstructing traffic along the busy corridor.
According to LASTMA, the driver of the vehicle resisted the enforcement process, leading to a confrontation during which the bus conductor, identified as Lekan Olasunkanmi, allegedly brought out a screwdriver and attacked one of the officers.
The officer sustained a stab wound in the process and was immediately taken to a nearby medical facility for treatment. LASTMA said the injured personnel is currently responding positively to medical care.
Following the attack, the suspect was arrested and handed over to officers at the Abattoir Police Division for further investigation and possible prosecution.
The agency stated that during preliminary questioning, Olasunkanmi admitted to possessing the screwdriver and reportedly claimed that the injury occurred accidentally during the confrontation.
Reacting to the development, LASTMA General Manager, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, condemned the attack, describing violence against traffic officials as unacceptable.
Bakare-Oki warned that the Lagos State Government would ensure that anyone found assaulting LASTMA personnel while carrying out their official duties faces the full consequences of the law.
He said LASTMA officers are deployed across the state to maintain traffic order and enforce compliance with road regulations, adding that attacks on them threaten public safety and the smooth management of traffic.
The LASTMA boss urged motorists, commercial transport operators and other road users to cooperate with traffic officials and comply with the Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law, 2018.
He also called on transport unions and operators to educate their members on the importance of respecting law enforcement and traffic management officers in the discharge of their duties.
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