My Experience With A LASTMA Officer Today - Gistmanian (Photos)

I boarded a bus (danfo) going to Yaba. As soon as we got to onipanu bus stop, a lastma officer stopped our bus and Instructed our bus driver to get down. If it were to be America or Spain, it would have been wise to get down, but this is lagos, getting down means you are rsady to give your car/bus away. This man refused to get down (the driver). All he kept on saying was "Oga, wetin I do?" The LASTMA official told him "Come down first, we will tell you when you get down"

Everybody in the bus kept shouting and murmuring. c'mmon, this driver didn't violate any law. A policeman walked up to us and was like "Oga get down, I would talk to the LASTMA officer for you". Since the policeman assured him about his safety and of his vehicle, he got down and went to talk.

Few minutes later, the driver came back with two other LASTMA Officer and was explaining something to the officer. Out of curiosity, an old man asked the driver what really happened, the driver then said they said his Route ans Route number is not clearly written on the bus. I got down to check and I realized it was all false. The route number and all other required informations were written on the bus but it was already fading. I then told the police man 'but oga, this thing dey dere na, e just don fade small'. The police man told me to mind my own business. So I left them ans entered the bus.

The bus driver was busy talking to the officials on how and why the Informations on the bus was no longer clear, he even told them, he would re write it immediately.

A LASTMA officer entered our bus and wanted to drive us away. Other passengers were shouting and insulting him. As a blogger, I brought out my camera phone and took pictures of the scene.

One of the officials saw me snapping them and walked up to me. He was like 'You are snapping abi, oya bring that phone'. I smiled back and I was like, I'm only doing my job sire. Then he took it personal and almost slapped me. But he cautioned and called a police man to come take me away to the station. It was just like film :p. The police man dragged me with my belt like I stole something or I was caught molesting. He dragged me into their police van and told me I will sleep in police cell today. I was just smiling. I'm sure the guy got confused. He was like, 'wetin dey ur bag' I showed him everything including my FAAN Identity Card. We are both working for the Federal Government I said.

I brought out my other phone so I could call a relative. The police man collected it and he was like I'm not allowed to make call... "E ma gba mi keh" I said (In my mind of course)

After a while, they promised to let me go if I delete those pictures I snapped earlier. Since they Insisted, I deleted most of it and hide some, because they were watching me closely. After I was done deleting those pictures, I showed them the phone and they left me.

The funny part was, they started laughing with me like nothing happened earlier and one of the officials promised to drive us to our destination (Yaba)

The way LASTMA frame up public bus drivers all in the name of tip and bribery ehn... God will save us.