By Ologeh Joseph Chibu
A Lagos commercial bus driver out of frustration has set himself and his bus ablaze.
The driver initially intended to encircle himself, bus and officials of Lagos State Transport Management Authority , (LASTMA) with fire but the traffic officials ran away leaving only himself and his conductor burnt by the fire.
The incidence happened in Lagos on Tuesday. The LASTMA officials had accosted the Bus driver for alleged traffic offences. In the milieu, the driver brought out matches, collected litres of petrol, moved close to the LASTMA officials before igniting the fire. The driver and his conductor were seen being burnt by the fire while the LASTMA officials took to their heels.
One eyewitness account told Irohinoodua that the LASTMA officials had stopped the driver questioning him for disobeying traffic laws. The driver was said to have complained that in the previous days, all his savings from passengers’ fare were collected by some LASTMA officials lamenting that he has been working daily but unable to source enough money to even offset fuel cost.
“He told the LASTMA officials he was a living corpse and that many of his colleagues are as frustrated due to the high cost of feul. He pleaded with the LASTMA officials to tender justice with mercy,” Samuel Ajayi , a banker who witnessed the scene said. He said the LASTMA officials insisted he must bribe them.
“They asked for N10,000 fine. The money usually go to their private pockets. The man literally became mad. He fetched petrol and matches. In minutes he set the area ablaze. The LASTMA officials ran away leaving the man and his conductor to roast.”
A lecturer of Sociology at the University of Lagos who spoke to our correspondent but does not wish to be named said the incidence was the height of what he called “State Terrorism” which he said might lead to serious social upheaval and anarchy.
“The country is on the edge. We are sitting on a keg of gunpowder. The Government has increased the price of fuel from 180 to 1,150 in less than one year. Prices of food have gone beyond reach, yet leaders are grinning from ear to ear, contemptuous of the human misery. There is no electricity. Millions have lost their jobs. People have been pushed to the extreme and the least the Government should do is to add to the misery.”
He warned that unless the poverty and suffering are addressed, there may be a spontaneous violent uprising in the country. He said the LASMA officials should have applied wisdom instead of insisting on punishing a man who saw life and living as worthless.
He urged the Government should be cautious in law enforcement to avoid catastrophe from mass resistance.
The incident unfolded in the Cele area toward Mile 2 after officers stopped the bus for a traffic violation, highlighting the extreme responses triggered by mounting economic challenges.
Adebayo Taofiq, Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment for LASTMA, issued a statement on X.com confirming the details.
“This shocking incident occurred today, Tuesday, November 5, 2024, when the driver resisted arrest with extreme aggression,” Taofiq noted, emphasizing the apparent desperation fueling the driver’s behavior.
According to LASTMA, the altercation escalated when the driver, along with his conductor, reacted violently to the interception, reportedly dousing LASTMA personnel with petrol and setting them ablaze in a desperate attempt to flee.
The injured LASTMA officer was rushed to a nearby hospital for urgent treatment, bearing severe burns from the attack.
As pressures mount on drivers amid a strained economy, the incident stands as a stark reminder of the impact of economic stress on behavior and public safety, raising questions about how such frustrations manifest on the city’s bustling roads.
