by S’ola Filani

Street urchins yesterday took laws into their hands by attacking officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) in Ojota, Ikorodu Road.

According to reports, some commercial drivers in the Ojota area of the state had engaged two LASTMA officials in an argument accusing the traffic management personnel of extortion.

The drivers, assisted by street urchins popularly known as Area Boys, demanded that the LASTMA officials leave the area, a demand which did not go down well which the men in yellow and red. This later degenerated into a physical combat which several people reportedly sustaining varying degrees of injury.

The crisis which lasted for over two hours was said to have been compounded by the area boys who joined the motorists in fighting LASTMA men.

About five Police Task Force and Rapid Response Squad vans drove to the scene of the fracas announcing their arrival with continuous gunshots which added to the confusion. The police reportedly shot several times into the air following it with canisters of teargas with women and children taking refuge on the pedestrian bridge.

One of the Police traffic wardens told The Punch 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.”

Young Arebamen, the Chief Executive Officer of LASTMA denounced the attack saying that nothing would deter his men from carrying out their responsibilities.

“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,” he said.

He continued saying “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.”