A chaotic clash erupted between officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and employees of Viju Company in the early hours of Tuesday at Oba Akran Avenue in Ikeja. The confrontation resulted in injuries to ten individuals, including one Viju Company motorboy who was reportedly shot.
Eyewitnesses reported scenes of bloodied LASTMA officials and Viju workers, with injuries ranging from stab wounds to gunshot wounds. Seyi, a driver at Viju, recounted the ordeal, stating, “Some boys were just shouting that they were already parking the vehicles. When I decided to fight back, they used an axe to stab my back.”
Another Viju official, Issa Tijani, voiced concerns over the heavy-handedness of the operation, alleging threats of incarceration and exorbitant fines. “They told them that they would carry all those guys to Kirikiri Prison for no reason… They also told them to come and bail their vehicles for N700,000, which I think is not fair,” Tijani said.
Similarly, Ismalia Asuma, another driver at Viju, claimed innocence in the confrontation, stating, “I did not do anything for the LASTMA officials. They came with soldiers, the task force, and ‘agberos’ (touts) to attack them.”
In response, Adebayo Taofeeq, the Public Relations Officer of LASTMA, explained that the raid was prompted by residents’ complaints of Viju trucks obstructing the road. “We acted on the direction of the Honourable Special Adviser on Transportation, Sola Giwa,” Taofeeq stated. He further clarified that while LASTMA officials used teargas for crowd control, they did not resort to firearms.
Taofeeq revealed that during the operation, miscreants mobilized from the Agege area attacked LASTMA officers, resulting in injuries to seven officials. However, he emphasized that the enforcement aimed to alleviate traffic congestion caused by the Viju trucks.
In response to the incident, Hon. Sola Giwa, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, affirmed that the arrested individuals would face prosecution as a deterrent to others.
The clash culminated in the arrest of five individuals and the seizure of various weapons, including broken bottles, iron rods, charms, knives, and cutlasses. Efforts to obtain a response from Gbadeyan Abdulraheem, the Director of Press and Public Affairs for the Lagos State Taskforce, were unsuccessful at the time of reporting.
