The Lagos State government has said it would prosecute five people arrested for assaulting and injuring operatives of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) during an enforcement operation in the Oba Akran Avenue area of Ikeja.
The operatives had on Tuesday conducted an operation to remove illegally parked Viju Milk trucks on Oba Akran Avenue in response to complaints from the public about the trucks causing traffic congestion.
However, during the operation, the operatives were attacked, with four officers sustaining serious injuries.
According to the spokesperson of the agency, Mr. Adebayo Taofiq, the operatives were attacked by Viju Milk truck drivers and miscreants.
He identified those to be prosecuted as Falomo Oluwafemi, Afeniyi Stephen, Olamide Adekunle, Chukwu Guaja Eze and Adeshina Sulaimon, adding that 54 Viju Milk trucks were impounded.
Weapons recovered from those to be prosecuted, Adebayo said, include broken bottles, iron rods, charms, knives, and cutlasses.
“The police, working alongside LASTMA, arrested five of these individuals (Falomo Oluwafemi, Afeniyi Stephen, Olamide Adekunle, Chukwu Guaja Eze and Adeshina Sulaimon) seized various weapons including broken bottles, iron rods, charms, knives, and cutlasses.
“The injured LASTMA officers were promptly taken to the hospital for medical attention,” Adebayo said in a statement.
“While LASTMA operational vehicles were vandalized, 54 Viju Milk truck were evacuated by Lastma during the enforcement operations,” he added.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Mr. Sola Giwa, said the prosecution of the five individuals arrested would serve as a deterrent to others.