At least three people were injured on Thursday when some street urchins, popularly called area boys, attacked officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority in the Ojota end of the Ikorodu Road. The crisis started at about 8.30am under the Ojota pedestrian bridge when some commercial bus drivers and the area boys told the LASTMA officials that they were not expected in the area since some federal road marshal had claimed that the highway belonged to the Federal Government.
The drivers, who were said to have claimed that LASTMA men had been extorting them, insisted that the LASTMA officials should leave. It was gathered that the argument soon degenerated into physical combat and soon the LASTMA officials were seen fleeing in different directions for safety. The crisis, which lasted for over two hours, was said to have been compounded by the area boys, who assisted the motorists in fighting LASTMA men.
When our correspondent got to the area by 9.30am, only two traffic wardens were at the Ojota Bus stop controlling vehicles. It was learnt that the Kick Against Indiscipline officials, who were deployed in the area, also removed their uniforms in panic and posed as pedestrians. One of the traffic wardens told our correspondent that a LASTMA official was injured during the clash. He said, “The commercial drivers, their conductors and the area boys beat up the LASTMA officials here (Ojota). As they fled, the thugs ran after them.
They caught one of them and smashed objects on his head. Their grouse was that LASTMA officials were still standing on the road to demand money after the federal task force had taken over federal roads in Lagos. “However, policemen attached to the state task force and the Rapid Response Squad soon came to disperse the area boys.” It was further learnt that two of the area boys sustained injuries while trying to resist arrest by task force officials
When our correspondent got to the Palmgroove and Onipanu areas of the highway by 10.30am, some of the boys were seen on the road, threatening to deal with any LASTMA official sighted. One of them was overheard boasting that they were ready to continue “the Ojota punishment on LASTMA officials” in Onipanu. A few minutes later, about five task force and RRS vans drove into the area, announcing their arrival with continuous gunshots which sent everyone running helter-skelter. The area boys disappeared into Watchtower and Kayode streets.
The police shot several times into the air and followed it with canisters of teargas, with women and children taking refuge on the pedestrian bridge in the area. Most of the shops were still locked as of 12pm, while traders in the few opened ones were looking around fearfully while the police presence lasted. A LASTMA official, who spoke with our correspondent on the telephone, said the injured LASTMA official had been taken to a hospital for treatment.
From Ketu to Yaba Bus Stop, no LASTMA official was seen on the road till around 2pm when our correspondent left the area. However, task force and RRS policemen were on ground at the LASTMA Ikorodu Road office. The Chief Executive Officer, LASTMA, Mr. Young Arabamen, denounced the attack on LASTMA officials and noted that nothing would deter his men from carrying out their statutory responsibilities. He noted, “If anyone has any grievances, all our officers have name tags and our vans also have numbers that they can call to properly lodge their complaints.
It is wrong for anyone to attack government officials at their duty post. “LASTMA has an investigation department where offences are dealt with, and people should not become lawless. Anyway, we have a statutory job on the roads, and nothing will deter us from fulfilling it.” The Lagos State Police spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, promised to confirm the number of arrests made, but she had yet to do so as of press time.