A commercial bus driver has allegedly stabbed an official of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority during an enforcement operation at Ojota Interchange in Lagos.
The agency, in a statement issued on Sunday by its Director of Public Affairs, Adebayo Taofiq, said the incident occurred over the weekend after its officers stopped a painted Caravelle GL Volkswagen bus with registration number EKY 693 YK for violating traffic regulations.
According to the statement, the vehicle was intercepted along the Ojota–Ketu corridor for conveying passengers with its door left open, an act the authority described as a serious safety risk to commuters and other road users.
The agency disclosed that the driver allegedly resisted arrest and attempted to escape by driving onto the road median.
His attempt to flee was, however, thwarted when the vehicle was forced to a stop.
Taofiq said the situation escalated when the suspect reportedly became violent, seized a broken bottle from inside the bus and attacked the enforcement team.
“In the process, he stabbed one of the officers in the fingers of his right hand before fleeing the scene,” the statement read.
The injured officer was said to have sustained severe fractures and significant blood loss.
He was immediately rushed to a medical facility, where he underwent emergency surgery.
Two of his fingers required surgical reconstruction, and he is currently under close medical supervision.
The authority noted that although the driver escaped, the vehicle involved in the incident had been impounded in line with traffic regulations.
The General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, condemned the attack, describing it as unacceptable and an affront to constituted authority.
He assured that the matter was being investigated in collaboration with the police to ensure the arrest and prosecution of the suspect.
Bakare-Oki warned commercial drivers against flouting traffic laws or assaulting traffic officials, stressing that the agency would not relent in enforcing compliance across the state.
He reaffirmed the commitment of the authority to maintaining order and ensuring the free flow of traffic across Lagos, adding that acts of violence against its personnel would be met with appropriate legal action.