A commercial bus driver is currently on the run after inflicting serious injuries on an officer from the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority in the Mile 2 area of Lagos on Tuesday.
The incident was confirmed by the LASTMA spokesperson, Adebayo Taofiq, in a statement.
Taofiq explained that the LASTMA officers had initially stopped the driver of a Volkswagen T4 commercial bus, with license plate LSD 355 CK, after he was observed violating traffic regulations around the Cele inward Mile 2 area.
However, the situation quickly escalated when the driver resisted arrest and took a desperate approach to evade capture.
In an attempt to flee, the driver reportedly doused the bus, along with some of the LASTMA officers who had boarded it to prevent his escape, with petrol.
Taofiq narrated, “The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority has been made aware of a distressing video showing the driver of a Volkswagen T4 commercial bus, licence plate LSD 355 CK, setting both his vehicle and LASTMA officers ablaze in a brazen attempt to evade arrest.”
Taofiq detailed how, during the arrest attempt, the driver, along with his conductor, resorted to aggressive measures.
He added, “The vehicle was intercepted for violating traffic regulations in the Cele inward Mile 2 area. In the course of the arrest, the driver and his conductor erupted into a frenzy, resorting to pouring petrol on LASTMA personnel and engaging in hostile confrontations and physical attacks against officers present.”
Following the attack, one LASTMA officer sustained severe burns and was swiftly transported to a nearby hospital for emergency medical car.
In his statement, Taofiq condemned the assault and assured the public that both the driver and his assistant would face justice for their actions.
“The injured LASTMA officer, who sustained severe burns, was immediately transported to a nearby hospital for urgent medical treatment,” he stated. He also urged all commercial drivers to respect traffic regulations and the authority of LASTMA officers, warning that the agency would “take firm and decisive action against those responsible.”
This incident comes on the heels of a similar attack on enforcement officers just in October.
On October 10, soldiers from the Ojo Cantonment Barracks allegedly attacked policemen after one of their colleagues, who was caught driving against the traffic around Volks Bus Stop along the Ojo Iyana Iba Road, instigated the altercation.
The soldier, who was driving an unregistered Volkswagen T4 commercial bus and not wearing his uniform, was stopped by policemen enforcing traffic rules at the location.
Reports indicated that the soldier, angered by the intervention of the officers, contacted fellow soldiers from his barracks, who quickly arrived at the scene and attacked the policemen.
During the assault, an officer named Saka Ganiyu sustained multiple injuries and was rushed to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, where he later succumbed to his wounds.
The recent series of attacks on law enforcement personnel highlights the risks they face in the line of duty and underscores the need for greater cooperation and respect for traffic regulations among all road users in Lagos.
LASTMA’s commitment to maintaining road safety and order, in line with the Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law of 2018, remains unwavering, and the agency has vowed to pursue justice in cases of violence against its officers.