A commercial bus conductor allegedly stabbed an official of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority with a screwdriver during a traffic enforcement operation at Ile-Epo, inward Abule-Egba, along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.

The spokesperson for LASTMA, Adebayo Taofiq, disclosed this in a statement on Monday.

Taofiq stated that the suspect, identified as Lekan Olasunkanmi, had been arrested and handed over to the police for investigation and possible prosecution.

He noted that the incident occurred while a LASTMA patrol team was carrying out a routine operation to remove traffic obstruction caused by a Volkswagen commercial bus with registration number LSR 989 XG at the busy Ile-Epo Market corridor.

Taofiq added that the driver of the vehicle resisted the enforcement operation before the conductor allegedly armed himself with a screwdriver and attacked one of the traffic officers.

“The driver of the commercial vehicle vehemently resisted lawful enforcement procedures. In a shocking escalation of events, the vehicle’s conductor, later identified as Mr Lekan Olasunkanmi, armed himself with a screwdriver and violently attacked a LASTMA officer, inflicting a stab wound during the altercation,” the statement read.

He noted that the injured officer was immediately taken to a nearby hospital, where he received emergency treatment and was responding positively.

Taofiq added that the incident was reported at the Abattoir Police Division, while the suspect was taken into police custody.

He stated, “Consequent upon the attack, the matter was promptly reported at the Abattoir Police Division, while the suspect was apprehended and taken into police custody for further investigation and possible prosecution.

“During the security preliminary interrogation, the suspect reportedly admitted to bringing out the screwdriver and confessed that he mistakenly stabbed the LASTMA officer during the confrontation.”

Reacting to the incident, the General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, condemned what he described as the growing trend of attacks on traffic management personnel while performing their lawful duties.

He warned that the Lagos State Government would not tolerate assaults, intimidation or harassment of traffic officers.

“Anyone found attacking LASTMA personnel in the course of their lawful duties will face the full weight of the law.

“Our officers are deployed across the state to facilitate seamless movement of people, goods and services, as well as to ensure strict compliance with extant traffic regulations.

“Any act of violence against them constitutes an affront to public order and the rule of law and will not go unpunished,” Bakare-Oki was quoted as saying.

He also urged motorists, commercial transport operators and other road users to comply with the provisions of the Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law, 2018, stressing that cooperation with traffic management officials was essential to achieving a safer, more efficient and orderly transport system.

The LASTMA boss further appealed to transport unions and commercial vehicle operators to sensitise their members on the need to respect law enforcement and traffic management officials.

This is not the first time traffic officers have been attacked during enforcement operations.

PUNCH Metro reported in November 2024 that a commercial driver fled after causing bodily injuries to a LASTMA officer in the Mile 2 area of the state.

Taofiq had stated that LASTMA operatives had accosted the driver for violating traffic regulations, but he resisted arrest.

He had noted that in an attempt to evade arrest, the driver sprayed his vehicle and some of the officers who had taken over the vehicle with petrol, set the bus on fire and fled the scene.

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Security operatives from Lagos and Ogun states have launched a joint offensive against criminal networks operating along the border corridor between the two states, leading to the arrest of 88 suspects, the rescue of five kidnapped victims, the recovery of arms and ammunition, and the death of four suspected criminals during encounters with security personnel.

The operation, codenamed Operation Kosaye, a Yoruba phrase meaning “there is no hiding place,” was initiated by the Nigeria Police Force to dismantle kidnapping syndicates, armed robbery gangs and other violent criminal groups exploiting forests and border communities between Lagos and Ogun states as hideouts.

The development followed coordinated operations by the Lagos and Ogun State police commands, with operatives combing forest locations and criminal hideouts along the J3/J4 axis of Ogbere in Ogun State and other identified flashpoints around the two states.

The operation had already yielded significant outcomes, including the rescue of five kidnap victims, the arrest of 88 suspects and the neutralisation of four suspected kidnappers.

The operation was formally launched by the police at the Police Training School, Iperu-Remo, Ogun State, where the Commissioners of Police in Ogun and Lagos states, Bode Ojajuni and Tijani Fatai, respectively, outlined the objectives of the initiative.

Ojajuni said the operation was designed to flush out kidnappers and other violent criminals hiding in forests, border communities and ungoverned spaces across the two states.

He said the name “Kosaye” captured the mission of the security operation, ensuring that criminals had no safe haven within the Lagos-Ogun axis.

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun have commended the security initiative, describing the operation as evidence of the importance of inter-state collaboration in tackling insecurity.

Sanwo-Olu, in a statement by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, praised the police and other security agencies for what he described as a “massive onslaught” against criminal elements.

The governor said the results recorded under the operation demonstrated the effectiveness of intelligence-led policing and cooperation between neighbouring states.

“We will continue to work with the police and other security agencies to ensure that our state is safe and secure for residents and visitors.

“We appreciate the huge efforts of the police as directed by Inspector-General Olatunji Disu, in arresting the suspects and the cooperation of our neighbours, Ogun State. This is the way it should be,” Sanwo-Olu said.

He urged residents to continue supporting security agencies by providing timely information on criminal activities and suspected hideouts.

“We will do our best to ensure that our law enforcement agencies are well motivated through the Lagos State Security Trust Fund,” the governor said.

Abiodun, on his part, described the operation as a proactive and intelligence-driven response to emerging security threats.

In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, the governor said the collaboration between both states had restored public confidence in the ability of security agencies to protect lives and property.

“The achievements recorded under ‘Operation Kosaye’ have restored public confidence in the Nigeria Police Force and reinforced the commitment of security agencies to the protection of lives and property,” Abiodun said.

He added that the sustained security offensive had made Lagos and Ogun increasingly difficult environments for criminals seeking to exploit state boundaries.

“The sustained offensive against criminal elements has effectively made Ogun and Lagos States increasingly hostile to kidnappers, bandits and other violent criminals who had attempted to exploit the shared border communities as safe havens,” he said.

Abiodun also commended the Inspector-General of Police, as well as the Lagos and Ogun police commissioners and participating officers, for their roles in the operation.

According to him, the exercise showed that criminals could only be effectively tackled when security agencies shared intelligence and operated beyond jurisdictional limitations.

“Operation Kosaye has demonstrated the importance of collaboration, intelligence sharing and coordinated inter-state action in tackling emerging security threats,” he said.

The Ogun governor urged other states to adopt similar joint security frameworks to prevent criminals from taking advantage of administrative boundaries to evade arrest.

Security authorities said the operation would continue as operatives intensify surveillance and intelligence gathering across forests, border communities and other locations identified as possible criminal hideouts.

Lagos and Ogun State governments also reaffirmed their commitment to providing logistical support, technology and other resources to strengthen security operations across the two states.

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