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Lagos driver flees after setting LASTMA officer on fire

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A commercial driver is on the run after causing bodily injuries to an officer of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority in the Mile 2 area of the state on Tuesday.

The LASTMA spokesperson, Adebayo Taofiq, confirmed the incident in a statement made available to PUNCH Metro on Tuesday.

According to Taofiq, LASTMA operatives had accosted the driver for violating traffic regulations but he resisted arrest.

He noted that in an attempt to evade arrest, the driver sprayed his vehicle and some of the officers who had taken over the vehicle with petrol, set the bus on fire and fled the scene.

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Taofiq narrated, “The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority has been made aware of a distressing video showing the driver of a Volkswagen T4 commercial bus, licence plate LSD 355 CK, setting both his vehicle and LASTMA officers ablaze in a brazen attempt to evade arrest.

“The vehicle was intercepted for violating traffic regulations in the Cele inward Mile 2 area.

“In the course of the arrest, the driver and his conductor erupted into a frenzy, resorting to pouring petrol on LASTMA personnel and engaging in hostile confrontations and physical attacks against officers present.”

The LASTMA spokesperson added that the injured officer who sustained severe burns was taken to a nearby hospital for medical attention.

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He stressed that the driver and his assistant who perpetrated the assault would be brought to book.

“The injured LASTMA officer, who sustained severe burns, was immediately transported to a nearby hospital for urgent medical treatment.

“The agency strongly urges all commercial and other drivers to comply fully with traffic regulations and respect the authority of LASTMA personnel. LASTMA will not condone any form of violence or intimidation and will take firm and decisive action against those responsible.

He reiterated the agency’s commitment “to preserving order and ensuring the safety of Lagos roads, as stipulated in the Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law of 2018.”

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PUNCH Metro reported a similar incident on October 10 when some soldiers attached to the Ojo Cantonment Barracks led by a yet-to-be-identified colleague, who was accosted for driving against the traffic around Volks Bus Stop, along the Ojo Iyana Iba Road area of Lagos State stabbed a policeman, Saka Ganiyu, to death.

The soldier, who was not wearing his uniform, while driving an unregistered T4 Volkswagen commercial bus against the traffic, was stopped by policemen on enforcement duty at Volks Bus Stop.

Angered by the action of the policemen, the soldier had reportedly contacted some of his colleagues, who were said to have trooped out of the Ojo Cantonment Barracks and attacked the policemen.

A document chronicling the circumstances surrounding the soldiers’ attack on the policemen indicated that Ganiyu sustained varying degrees of injury during the attack and was rushed to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital for urgent treatment where he reportedly died.

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Metro

Danger averted as police rescued six kids from collapsed building

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The Lagos State Police Command has rescued six children from a building within an estate in the Ejigbo area of the state.

The command’s spokesperson, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed this to newsmen on Saturday in Lagos.

He said that on Tuesday at about 12p.m., the police received information that six children were staying alone in a building.

‘The case was transferred from the Ejigbo Police Station to the Gender Unit in Ikeja after reports indicated that the children were left alone in a residential house.

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“The children, aged between seven and 13 years, have been rescued and are currently in a protective shelter through the Ministry of Youth and Social Development,’ he said.

Hundeyin said initial findings revealed that their mother was currently abroad for medical treatment and had left them in the care of a caregiver.

The spokesperson added that efforts were underway to contact their mother, and investigations were ongoing to gather more details about the case.

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Metro

Fire engulfs MTN office in Oyo

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An MTN booster station at the University of Ibadan (UI) in Oyo State was reportedly engulfed in flames on Saturday.

The fire, attributed to an electrical surge, erupted within the Faculty of Nursing.

According to reports, the incident took place in the early morning hours, around 4 a.m., and resulted in significant damage to the Mikano electrical generator, the control board, and other telecommunications devices at the booster station.

The state capital, Special Adviser on Fire Services Reform to Governor Seyi Makinde, and Chairman of the State Fire Services Agency, Moroof Akinwande confirmed the incident.

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He said, “The state Fire Service’s prompt response doused the fire at the MTN booster station beside the Faculty of Nursing, University of Ibadan.

“The fire personnel, led by ACFS Olubunmi, were promptly deployed to the scene and arrived on time.

“On arrival, we met the Mikano electrical generator and board on fire. We quickly joined hands with the university’s fire marshals, and the fire was extinguished completely. The fire was caused by an electrical surge”, he explained.

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Metro

Insecurity! Gunmen invade church, slash pastor’s 2 fingers

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Heavily armed gunmen reportedly stormed Elyon Paradise Ministry Church, shooting Pastor Divine Omodia and abducting six members of the congregation in Asagba Ogwashi, near Ogwashi-Uku Polytechnic, Aniocha south local government area of Delta State.

The attack, which took place on February 21, 2025, at approximately 10:30pm., saw the assailants round up the church premises before shooting the pastor and severing two of his fingers, causing severe blood loss.

One of the Pastors, Pastor Steve Victor Onuchukwu, who spoke revealed that since the attack, the kidnappers have not contacted the church or the victims’ families to demand ransom.

“The matter has been reported to the police, but so far, no tangible results have been achieved,” Onuchukwu stated.

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“One security agency assured me they are working around the clock to secure the victims’ release, but we have no concrete updates yet.”

Concerns continue to mount over Pastor Omodia’s condition, as he remains in critical care at an undisclosed hospital.

According to Onuchukwu, medical personnel are making efforts to stabilize him.

“We rushed him to the hospital immediately, and he is currently in the operating theatre, where doctors are doing everything possible to save his life,” he said.

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Meanwhile, when contacted for a statement, Delta State Police Command spokesperson Bright Edafe claimed no official report of the incident had been made to law enforcement.

“I am not aware of any such report because nobody has informed us about it,” Edafe stated.

The attack has heightened concerns over security in the region, with residents and church members demanding swift action to locate the kidnapped victims and bring the perpetrators to justice.

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