Man Batters 3 LASTMA Officers Over Bribe

MICHAEL AKINOLA

Three LASTMA officers attached to Zone 7 in Ejigbo area of Lagos may have regretted their action after they went to the highway for ‘official duty but it turned out a sad experience.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that the officers were badly beaten up by a young man, Segun Adebayo, who allegedly secretly recorded their activities with commuters on the highway.
The incident happened at Jakande Estate gate in Ejigbo, Lagos, where the officers went to control traffic.
The officers in question Giwa Rasheed, Akanji Wasiu and Salami Olasunkanmi, were allegedly obtaining money from motorists and Adebayo, who was driving on the road, saw them and attempted to use his phone to capture their illegal activity.
However, one of the officers reportedly caught him and alerted the two other officers about what Adebayo was doing and they held him. They wanted to seize his phone but Adebayo resisted. It later degenerated to a public fight between Adebayo and the LASTMA officers. Adebayo was sad to have rained several blows on them and attempted to remove the uniform of one of the officers on the road.
The officer then contacted the police at Ejigbo Division; Adebayo was arrested and detained at the police station for interrogation.
After interrogation, the police found him culpable and charged him before the Ejigbo Magistrates Court for assaulting the officers while they were on official duty.
He pleaded not guilty. The prosecutor, Inspector G .Simon, did not oppose his being granted bail.
Thus, the Presiding Magistrate, Mr. L.K.J. Layeni, granted Adebayo bail in the sum of N100,000 with two sureties in like sum.
He was remanded in prison custody pending when he will perfect his bail condition.
The matter was adjourned till 24th April, 2019.
When P.M.EXPRESS correspondent contacted Adebayo, he denied assaulting the officers. He explained that they had suspected that he used his phone to capture their activities and wanted to seize his phone but he resisted.