LASTMA officer hacked to death

Godwin Obazu, an officer of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), has been hacked to death in Anthony area of Lagos.

In a statement on Thursday by Filade Olumide, assistant director of public affairs, Obazu and another officer were said to be in mufti and were on their way home having completed their morning shift, when they were attacked by a driver and some other persons with machetes and other dangerous weapons.

According to the statement, Olajide Oduyoye, LASTMA general manager, explained that the driver and others involved in the attack were protesting the recent seizure of a commercial bus in the area.

“Obazu was struck severally with machetes, resulting in deep lacerations on the head and his eventual death, while Adeniyi Hakeem, who was also attacked similarly, has been hospitalised and in a coma,” Oduyoye said.

He added that a commercial driver, whose bus with registration number FKJ 452 YC, was plying the Bariga to Oshodi route through the Ikorodu axis, when his vehicle was apprehended for violating the traffic law in the state.

Oduyoye, who said some senior officers were lucky to have escaped, described the attack as “senseless and unwarranted”.

Seven persons suspected to have participated in the attack have been apprehended and handed over to the police.

While the driver of the bus and a few others are said to be at large, the general manager said the police would conduct a proper investigation, and the wrath of the law would be brought to bear on all those found guilty of taking laws into their hands.

Meanwhile, Bolaji Oreagba, LASTMA director of operations, said the incident would not hinder the agency from performing its duties as demanded by the law of Lagos state.