A commercial bus conductor has been arrested after allegedly stabbing a Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) officer during a routine traffic enforcement operation at Ile-Epo Market along the Lagos-Abeokuta Road.
According to LASTMA General Manager, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, the incident occurred after a patrol team stopped a Volkswagen commercial bus for obstructing traffic along the market corridor inward Abule-Egba.
Bakare-Oki said the driver resisted the enforcement process, while the conductor allegedly armed himself with a screwdriver and stabbed one of the officers who was carrying out his lawful duty of maintaining free flow of traffic.
The inj¥red officer was immediately taken to a nearby hospital for urgent medical treatment and is said to be responding positively.
The case was reported to the Abattoir Police Division, where the suspect was taken into custody for further investigation and possible prosecution.
Condemning the att@ck, Bakare-Oki said the Lagos State Government would not tolerate assa¥lts, intimidation or har@ssment of traffic management personnel, warning that anyone who att@cks LASTMA officers while they are performing their lawful duties will face the full weight of the law.
He also urged motorists, commercial transport operators and other road users to obey traffic regulations and appealed to transport unions to continue educating their members on the importance of respecting law enforcement and traffic management officials.
