Soldiers, LASTMA officers clash in Lagos

Soldiers, LASTMA officers clash in Lagos

Some yet-to-be-identified soldiers on Monday beat up a member of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) in Ojota, in what looks to be a reprisal attack.

In a viral video which was shared on X (formerly Twitter), more than four masked soldiers punched and repeatedly hit the LASTMA official to the ground. Three men that appeared to be civilians also joined them.

Despite his plea for leniency, one of the soldiers was seen kicking him with his boot as other LASTMA officers fled the area.

In another viral video that appeared last week, an army officer who had just alighted from a commercial minibus ‘Korope’ was seen fighting with a LASTMA officer, it is unclear what led to the brawl between the two law enforcement officers.

The video showed the traffic officer striking the soldier with his club and some civilians trying to intervene.

It appeared that the two officers might have had a verbal exchange which made the soldier alight from the bus. The cause of the altercation is unclear.

Contacted, Adebayo Taofiq, LASTMA spokesperson telephone number was switched off.

A spokesperson for the Nigerian Army, Onyema Nwachukwu, did not answer calls seeking comment on the clash.

However, speaking with newsmen, Mr Nwachukwu described the clash as “disturbing” and “one too many.”

“The authorities of the Nigerian Army are genuinely concerned and are embarking on a vigorous sensitisation campaign to educate our personnel on the need to ensure compliance with traffic rules and promote synergy and interagency cooperation in Lagos State and around the country,” he was quoted as saying.

“To rein in our personnel, the military police have also been mandated to conduct Operation Checkmate by carrying out intermittent surveillance to identify and arrest personnel who violate traffic rules or are found engaging in any untoward activity.

“The altercations are pointing to the fact that there is a need to strengthen interagency cooperation amongst the security agencies in Lagos.

“Those enforcing the rules must equally be sensitised not to take laws into their hands by physically assaulting or battering offenders. This, more often than not, escalates the situation and results in a violent confrontation.”

On his part, the spokesperson for the 81 Division of the Nigerian Army, Olabisi Ayeni, said that the clash was being investigated.

There are many instances of military personnel and Nigerian police officers attacking officials of paramilitary agencies for enforcing the mandate they were constitutionally set up to enforce.

And so far, no measure has effectively stemmed the menace.

In November 2022, soldiers of the Nigerian Army beat up police and traffic officers along the Eko Bridge in Lagos.

According to the information gathered, the soldiers were driving on a one-way when the two officers stopped their vehicle and ordered them to turn back and take the right lane.

Reacting to the incident at the time, Benjamin Hundeyin, the police spokesperson, said “Everything is fine now and our man is undergoing treatment at a hospital.

“Both parties have apologised to each other and there is no cause for alarm. The situation is under control.

“The Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Police Force in Lagos State will continue to coexist in harmony.”

In January 2022, overzealous police officers allegedly manhandled, harassed and handcuffed a LASTMA officer Odugbemi Eyitayo, in the Yaba area of the state over the enforcement of traffic offences.

Again in December 2021, a female LASTMA official was attacked by some police officers who violated traffic rules.