Six remanded for assaulting Lagos traffic officials

LASTMA boss, Bakare-Oki. Photo: File

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The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority has said that the Chief Magistrate of the Special Offences Court sitting in Oshodi has remanded six of the seven suspects arraigned before it until February 19, 2026, for allegedly assaulting and causing grievous bodily harm to traffic officials carrying out their lawful duties.

The LASTMA spokesperson, Adebayo Taofiq, stated in a statement on Wednesday that the assaulted officials comprised LASTMA personnel, KAI officials, and operatives of the Lagos State Task Force.

He noted that the LASTMA authorities had received a complaint from the Nigerian Airports Authority about the activities of some motorists who were causing traffic impediments and difficulties for road users along the airport corridor.

He said, “During the lawful execution of the enforcement operation, five officers of the joint task force were viciously attacked with dangerous weapons, while one of the authority’s tow trucks was deliberately set ablaze by the rampaging miscreants in a desperate attempt to sabotage the exercise and brazenly challenge the authority of the state.

“Despite the severe provocation and imminent threat to life and public assets, officers of the joint enforcement team exhibited exceptional professionalism, commendable restraint, and conspicuous courage in the face of the coordinated onslaught.

“In the course of the operation, a total of 56 vehicles were impounded for various traffic and environmental infractions, comprising 44 commercial buses, five private vehicles, and seven trucks.”

Taofiq noted that the seven suspects were arraigned on Tuesday on a four-count charge.

Upon arraignment, six of the suspects pleaded not guilty, and following their plea, the magistrate ordered that they be remanded in custody until February 19, 2026, while the seventh suspect was granted bail.

Reacting to the court’s decision, the LASTMA General Manager, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, stressed that the state would always ensure the protection of critical public infrastructure, guarantee the safety of all road users, and uphold law and order across the metropolis.

“He warned unequivocally that the government would neither capitulate to intimidation nor tolerate violence from criminal elements, stressing that every act of lawlessness would be met decisively with the full weight of the law.

“The LASTMA boss further assured members of the public that enforcement operations along critical and strategic corridors of Lagos would remain continuous, intensified and firmly anchored within the confines of the law, in close collaboration with sister agencies, to eradicate criminality, restore public order and safeguard lives and property,” Taofiq concluded.

PUNCH Metro reported on December 23 that the Oshodi Mobile Court sentenced a man who was arrested for indiscriminate waste disposal along the Lagos Island area of the state.

Johnson, an avid reader, has over four years experience in journalism covering education, politics and Metro.

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