Lagos to prosecute man who assaulted LASTMA official

Lagos State Government said it will prosecute a man named Emmanuel Ben who led an assault on an official of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) Ismaila Lukman.

LASTMA general manager Olajide Oduyoye in a statement said Lagos State attorney-general Moyosore Onigbanjo has directed Ben’s prosecution for assaulting Lukman “at the Jakande Junction in Lekki while on his lawful duty around 2:20 pm on Sunday 8th November 2020.”

He said Ben will “be made to face the full wrath of the law for the assault to serve as deterrent to others with similar motives.”

Oduyoye explained that Lukman was controlling traffic manually at Jakande Junction when Ben approached him asking that traffic be stopped for him to cross even with the presence of pedestrian bridge nearby.

“He (Ben) then proceeded to step into the carriageway in front of moving traffic causing disruption to traffic flow. Lukman then asked him to leave the road and stop disturbing his work.”

Oduyoye said Ben was joined in the officer’s assault by two passersby. Ben was arrested by military and police personnel on patrol in the area. He is currently at the Ilasan Police Station.

The LASTMA boss noted that the traffic officers will not be intimidated in carrying out their lawful duties and vowed that anyone caught assaulting LASTMA officers would be made to face the music under the Law.

“We must all have a change of mindset to obey the traffic law as amended in 2018 by the Lagos State House of Assembly and that anybody who refuses to obey those traffic laws should be ready to face the consequences as stated in the Law,” Oduyoye said.

He urged road users to “come to terms with the fact that LASTMA was constituted by the Law which has conferred some responsibilities on the agency and also on the road users.”