Olalekan Bakare-Oki, General Manager of LASTMA

The Lagos State Government has issued a stern warning to motorists and criminal elements following the remand of six suspects accused of violently attacking traffic enforcement officers and destroying public property during a lawful operation along the airport corridor.

The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) disclosed that the Chief Magistrate of the Special Offences Court sitting in Oshodi ordered the remand of six out of seven suspects arraigned for allegedly assaulting officers and inflicting grievous bodily harm while officials were carrying out their statutory duties. The suspects are to remain in custody until February 19, 2026, while the seventh suspect was granted bail.

In a statement released on Wednesday, LASTMA spokesperson, Mr. Adebayo Taofiq, revealed that the assaulted officers included personnel of LASTMA, the Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) unit, and operatives of the Lagos State Task Force.

According to him, the enforcement operation was prompted by a formal complaint from the Nigerian Airports Authority (NAA) over the activities of unruly motorists causing severe traffic obstruction and hardship for road users along the airport axis.

Taofiq explained that the operation was violently resisted, noting that five officers of the joint task force were attacked with dangerous weapons, while a LASTMA tow truck was deliberately set ablaze in what he described as a brazen attempt to sabotage government authority and disrupt public order.

“Despite the severe provocation and imminent threat to life and public assets, the officers displayed remarkable professionalism, restraint, and courage in the face of the coordinated attack,” he said.

He added that during the exercise, a total of 56 vehicles were impounded for various traffic and environmental offences, including 44 commercial buses, five private vehicles, and seven trucks.

Reacting to the court ruling, the General Manager of LASTMA, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, issued a strong warning, stressing that the Lagos State Government would not bow to intimidation or tolerate violence against its officials.

He reaffirmed the state’s commitment to protecting critical infrastructure, ensuring the safety of road users, and maintaining law and order across the metropolis, warning that acts of lawlessness would be met with the full weight of the law.

Bakare-Oki further assured residents that enforcement operations along strategic corridors in Lagos would continue unabated and be intensified, in collaboration with sister agencies, to stamp out criminality, restore public order, and safeguard lives and property.

The development serves as a clear signal from the state government that attacks on public officers and defiance of lawful authority will attract severe legal consequences.