Lagos State Government has issued a stern warning to traffic offenders attacking men of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) on duty, affirming that the government will, henceforth, deal ruthlessly with anyone who attacks security and road traffic officers in the line of duty.
A release issued by the Special Adviser to the Governor of Lagos State on Transportation, Mr. Toyin Fayinka noted that there has been a recent increase in the spate of attacks on traffic management officers in the State, describing the trend where lawlessness is gradually becoming the norm as unacceptable and reckless.
According to Fayinka, “We will no longer watch as some elements fight against the symbol and apparatus of government. I condemn in strong terms any form of violence on LASTMA officials deployed by the State to manage traffic on the roads. Any attack on any government official be it Police, LASTMA and VIS, amongst others, will no longer be condoned”.
Fayinka disclosed that a hit-and-run driver knocked down a LASTMA officer, Amos Adebisi, at the weekend while trying to effect the arrest of an O-Pay rider who drove on the BRT lane at Ojota. The officer momentarily passed out after the incident, while the bus driver sped off, but the victim was rushed to the General Hospital, Isolo, by good Samaritans where he is recuperating.
The Special Adviser stated further that the incident preceded another violent episode resulting in the death of a LASTMA officer, Ola Oyeshina, who died in the early hours of Saturday after two trailer drivers attacked him while on duty in Iganmu-Sifax area of Apapa.
While condemning the series of attacks in strong terms, he declared that those responsible for the dastardly act will have their days in court as the government intensifies efforts to track down the culprits involved.
Fayinka maintained that the State Government had always operated an open-door policy in punishing errant officials, urging aggrieved members of the public to explore channels created by the present administration to report officers that go against the law in the discharge of their duties instead of taking the laws into their hands.
