Police arrest 16, impound 140 motorcycles as Okada ban takes off in Lagos

No fewer than 16 motorcyclists and passengers were arrested on Wednesday, June 1, 2022 as enforcement of Okada ban began in various Local Government Areas of Lagos State.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Lagos State command, SP Benjamin Hundyin, confirmed this while speaking to newsmen.

According to him, 94 motorcycles were impounded by the police, while others were seized by men of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Enforcement Agency.

The Lagos PPRO said; “There was over 90 per cent compliance, but some motorcyclists still came out and we arrested and charged them to a mobile court.

“Sixteen passengers and motorcyclists were arrested; the majority of the motorcyclists did not carry passengers and some of the motorcyclists abandoned their motorcycles after sighting policemen,” he added.

Recall, the state Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on May 18, 2022, announced the ban on Okada riders at a meeting with the state Commissioner of Police, Area Commanders and Divisional Police Officers at the State House in Alausa.

The governor banned the riders in Eti-Osa, Ikeja, Surulere, Lagos Island, Lagos Mainland, and Apapa areas of the state.

The ban, which took effect from Wednesday, June 1, followed the killing of a sound engineer, David Imoh, in the Lekki area of the state.

The affected areas include Eti-Osa, Ikeja, Surulere, Lagos Island, Lagos Mainland and Apapa.

It was gathered that police had earlier patrolled the six affected councils a day to the ban to warn those who wanted to defy the state directive.

The patrol reportedly involved the police, Army, Navy, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps, Rapid Response Squad, task force and other security agencies.

The General Manager of the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps, Ifalade Oyekan, said the government’s action was justified.

“The government cannot fold its arms as the menace of okada riders increase on a daily basis,” he was quoted as saying in a statement on the state government’s website.

Meanwhile, as the enforcement began, Lagos commuters have bemoan the action of the state government.

A commuter, Ajala Adebayo, who lives at Sango, Ogun State, and works at Ikeja, asked the Lagos State Government to regulate the operation of the riders.

Adebayo said, “I used to take okada to beat time whenever I was running late to office. But now, I have to leave my house on time just to beat traffic.

“The ban is going to affect a lot of things, but eventually, the positive will outweigh the negative effects.

“The rate of okada accident is high, which is caused by lack of regulation for okada riders.

“Okada business is a means of livelihood for youths, especially graduates who cannot secure employment after years of graduation,” he said.

Another resident, Islamiat Gbadegesin, said bus fares have been hiked due to the development.

She said, “Bus fares have increased and this is going to affect a lot of people plying the roads. Most places leading to major roads have been blocked by serious traffic.”

© IR