"Commercial Driver on the Run After Setting LASTMA Officer and Vehicle Ablaze in Violent Traffic Stop"
A commercial driver is on the run after inflicting serious injuries on a Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) officer in the Mile 2 area of Lagos on Tuesday. The incident, confirmed by LASTMA spokesperson Adebayo Taofiq, occurred when LASTMA officers intercepted the driver for traffic violations.
Taofiq stated that the driver resisted arrest, pouring petrol on his own vehicle and on some LASTMA officers before setting the bus on fire and fleeing the scene. “The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority has seen a distressing video of the driver of a Volkswagen T4 commercial bus, license plate LSD 355 CK, igniting his vehicle with LASTMA officers present, all in a bid to evade arrest,” Taofiq reported.
The LASTMA spokesperson explained that the officers stopped the driver in the Cele area inbound Mile 2 for violating traffic laws. However, both the driver and his conductor reacted aggressively, dousing the officers and the vehicle with petrol, then lighting it ablaze.
The injured officer, who sustained serious burns, was quickly taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. Taofiq emphasized that LASTMA is committed to holding the driver and his accomplice accountable. “The agency condemns all forms of violence against LASTMA officers and will pursue legal action against those responsible,” he stated.
Taofiq also reiterated LASTMA’s commitment to maintaining road safety and enforcing the Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law of 2018.
This incident follows a similar confrontation on October 10, when soldiers from Ojo Cantonment allegedly attacked policemen for stopping a soldier driving against traffic near Volks Bus Stop. The soldier, reportedly driving an unregistered Volkswagen T4 against the flow of traffic, summoned fellow soldiers, who assaulted the officers. One officer, Saka Ganiyu, later died from injuries sustained during the attack after being rushed to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital.
Comments