LASTMA officials arrested over conductor’s death

Barely 24 hours after officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority caused the death of a commercial bus conductor, Ikechukwu Abasirim, on Monday at the Cele area of the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, news came that some members of the LASTMA team had been arrested.
They were arrested on Tuesday.
It was gathered that some policemen who were attached to the team were also arrested.
Commercial bus drivers plying the route on Tuesday also protested LASTMA’s maltreatment.
They urged the state government to do something about the officials’ highandedness.
The drivers, among other allegations, insisted that officials used to extort money arbitrarily from them.
One of the drivers, Elene Ilechukwu, alleged: “LASTMA officials used to hijack buses along this expressway over minor offence. They use impounded buses to raid other commercial drivers.
“They also lead drivers into traps. They would use the seized buses to stop at designated points, giving other commercial bus drivers the impression that they are loading. If any driver dares to stop by that bus stop, the armed policemen and LASTMA officials will jump out of the vehicle and arrest the conductor or driver.”
Ilechukwu said the officials used to collect N5,000 from them.