by Jewel Stephen

On Tuesday, December 9, a commercial bus driver fainted after getting into an altercation with officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) in the Idi-Iroko area of Lagos.

According to eyewitnesses, the incident happened around 9.30 am, and the LASTMA officials supposedly seized and confiscated the phones of passersby who attempted to film the scuffle.

A witness, who spoke under the veil of anonymity, revealed that the bus driver, after hitting a Toyota Highlander, attempted to drive away. But the owner of the affected vehicle sped to overtake and block his vehicle, to prevent him from escaping.

The eyewitness said: “I learnt the bus driver brushed the car and he did not stop. So, the car owner drove ahead and blocked him. He called the attention of the LASTMA officials who came to arrest him, which led to a free-for-all.”

Another witness revealed to Punch that the driver was beaten up by some agents of LASTMA. He said: “They did not wear any uniform, but we know they work with LASTMA. They beat up the man and he fainted.”

As people tried to revive the fainted driver, some of the passenger were said to have started crying “profusely”.

“Some of the women were crying profusely because they thought he had died. He laid there on the main road, almost lifeless. It was after much effort that he came round and he was made to sit on a pavement for some time.”

The head of the Anthony office of LASTMA reportedly came out and asked the LASTMA official, who had taken over the vehicle, to release the driver to go his way.

Kolapo Olapoju