A commercial bus conductor has been arrested for allegedly stabbing an official of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority during a traffic enforcement operation along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.
The incident occurred at the busy Ile-Epo Market corridor in Abule-Egba, where a LASTMA patrol team was removing a Volkswagen commercial bus, bearing registration number LSR 989 XG, for allegedly causing traffic obstruction.
According to the agency’s spokesperson, Adebayo Taofiq, the driver of the vehicle resisted the enforcement exercise before the conductor, identified as Lekan Olasunkanmi, allegedly attacked one of the traffic officers with a screwdriver.
He said the officer sustained a stab wound during the confrontation and was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital, where he received emergency medical attention. The injured official is reportedly responding well to treatment.
Taofiq disclosed that the matter was reported to the Abattoir Police Division, while the suspect was arrested and handed over to the police for further investigation and possible prosecution.
He added that during preliminary interrogation, the suspect reportedly admitted to wielding the screwdriver and confessed that he accidentally stabbed the traffic officer during the altercation.
Reacting to the incident, the General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, condemned the attack, describing it as another example of the increasing assaults on traffic management personnel carrying out their lawful responsibilities.
Bakare-Oki warned that the Lagos State Government would not condone attacks, intimidation or harassment of traffic officers, stressing that anyone found culpable would face the full weight of the law.
He noted that LASTMA officials were deployed across the state to ensure the free flow of traffic, facilitate the movement of people and goods, and enforce compliance with traffic regulations.
The LASTMA boss also urged motorists, commercial transport operators and other road users to obey traffic laws and cooperate with enforcement officers to promote a safer and more orderly transportation system.
He further appealed to transport unions to sensitise their members on the importance of respecting law enforcement and traffic management personnel while performing their official duties.
The incident adds to a growing list of attacks on LASTMA officials. In November 2024, a commercial driver allegedly injured a traffic officer in the Mile 2 area of Lagos after resisting arrest for a traffic offence. The driver reportedly doused his vehicle and some officers with petrol, set the bus ablaze and fled the scene.