Six Face Charges for Midnight Assault on LASTMA Officers

Six Face Charges for Midnight Assault on LASTMA Officers
…Tow Truck Arson
The court adjourned the matter to February 19, 2026, for further hearing

Six suspected miscreants were on Tuesday arraigned for allegedly masterminding a violent attack on officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, and other allied agencies during a midnight enforcement operation along Airport Road, Lagos.

Contents

EDITOR’S PICK
FURTHER READING

Eko Hot Blog reports that the suspects were brought before the Chief Magistrate of the Lagos State Mobile Court on December 23, 2025, on four separate charges arising from the incident.

EDITOR’S PICK

The court adjourned the matter to February 19, 2026, for further hearing.

One of the defendants, who pleaded not guilty, was granted bail, while the remaining six suspects were remanded in custody pending the continuation of proceedings.

The enforcement operation, which led to the impoundment of 56 vehicles, was conducted to curb persistent traffic and environmental violations in the area. Vehicles seized during the exercise included 44 commercial buses, five private cars and seven trucks.

The late night operation was personally supervised by the General Manager of LASTMA, Mr Olalekan Bakare Oki, and carried out in collaboration with security operatives, the Kick Against Indiscipline, KAI Corps, the Lagos State Task Force and LASTMA field officers.

Authorities said the exercise followed repeated complaints from the Nigerian Airport Authority, NPA, over illegal activities and encroachment on its facilities by criminal elements and non compliant commercial drivers operating in violation of existing regulations.

Six Face Charges for Midnight Assault on LASTMA Officers

The NPA reportedly raised concerns that the activities of the illegal operators had become a major nuisance along the airport corridor, citing frequent cases of harassment, intimidation and dispossession of unsuspecting members of the public.

During the operation, five officers attached to the joint task force were attacked with dangerous weapons by the suspects. In an apparent attempt to disrupt the exercise, one of LASTMA’s tow trucks was also deliberately set ablaze.

Despite the violent resistance and threats to lives and public assets, enforcement officers were said to have conducted themselves with restraint, professionalism and courage throughout the operation.

Reacting to the incident, Mr Bakare Oki reaffirmed the Lagos State Government’s resolve to protect critical infrastructure, ensure the safety of road users and maintain law and order across the state.

He warned that the government would not yield to intimidation or tolerate violence from criminal elements, stressing that acts of lawlessness would be met with decisive legal action.

The LASTMA boss further assured residents that enforcement activities along strategic corridors in Lagos would continue unabated, in collaboration with sister agencies, to curb criminal activities, restore order and safeguard lives and property across the metropolis.