LASTMA officer stabbed during traffic enforcement in Abule-Egba

A traffic officer of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has been stabbed by a commercial bus conductor during a routine traffic enforcement operation at Ile-Epo Market, inward Abule-Egba, along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.

The incident occurred when a LASTMA patrol team 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 vehicle resisted lawful enforcement procedures, leading to a confrontation with officers on duty.

In the course of the altercation, the conductor of the bus, identified as Lekan Olasunkanmi, reportedly armed himself with a screwdriver and stabbed one of the LASTMA officials.

The injured officer was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital for urgent medical attention and is said to be responding positively to treatment.

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

LASTMA disclosed that during preliminary interrogation, the suspect admitted to bringing out the screwdriver and allegedly confessed that he mistakenly stabbed the officer during the confrontation.

Reacting to the incident, the General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, condemned the attack and expressed concern over what he described as the increasing hostility towards traffic management personnel in the state.

Bakare-Oki warned that the Lagos State Government would not tolerate any assault, harassment, or intimidation of officers carrying out lawful duties.

He stated that anyone found attacking LASTMA personnel would face the full weight of the law, stressing that the agency’s officers are deployed to ensure free vehicular movement and maintain order on Lagos roads.

According to him, violence against traffic officials undermines public order and the rule of law.

He also urged motorists, commercial transport operators, and other road users to comply with traffic regulations as contained in the Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law, 2018.

The LASTMA boss further appealed to transport unions and commercial drivers to sensitise their members on the need to respect traffic and law enforcement officers in order to promote safety and orderliness on Lagos roads.