Bus driver cuts LASTMA officer's throat over traffic offence

VICTOR Awotola, an official of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), had a close shave with death yesterday when a commercial bus driver almost cut-off his throat and stabbed him on the head around Ojodu, Lagos State.

He has since been hospitalized.

According to our sources, the LASTMA official was allegedly attacked by the bus driver for impounding his vehicle.

It was gathered that the traffic enforcement agent was immediately rushed to the hospital in a critical condition as he bled heavily from his neck and head.

It was learnt that the driver, Yusuf, absconded immediately to evade arrest and onward prosecution. However, he was soon fished out by the chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).

He was then handed over to policemen attached to the Ojodu Police Station where he is currently been detained and probed over the attempted murder of a law enforcement official in the State.

Confirming the attack, General Manager of LASTMA, Bolaji Oreagba, condemned the attack and disclosed that henceforth, the Lagos State Government would no longer tolerate any act of assault, physical attack as well as attempted murder on any official working for the government, especially LASTMA officers.

Oreagba, on Wednesday, stated that the perpetrators of such misdemeanors would be made to face the full wrath of the law by the state government.

According to him, assault on government officials while carrying out their lawful duties is becoming too rampant and the government is ready to put a stop to this through diligent prosecution of such person(s) no matter how highly placed in the society.

"According to reports received on the incident, Yusuf, the minibus driver, and offender, was noted to be causing willful obstruction at River Valley Estate and after refusing all entreaties to move away from the place, the vehicle was to be apprehended.

“At this juncture, the driver disappeared only to reappear unexpectedly with a big knife with which he cut Awotola’s head and neck, whilst he escaped afterward with the aid of the street urchins around the area but his vehicle was apprehended and its custody taken by the agency”, LASTMA’s spokesperson, Olumide Filade, gave in a statement passed to the media.

News culled from TheGuild