By Seyi Odewale
Some parts of the Lagos-Badagry expressway were yesterday thrown into turmoil as commercial motorcyclists, otherwise known as Okada riders, resisted and clashed with the operatives of the police, who tried to impound their motorcycles.
The hottest point was the Iyana-Iba-Ojo axis, where the commercial motorcyclists resisted men and officers from the Onireke Police Station who carried out the operation.
Gunshots were heard from the distance and tear gas was shot in an apparent move to disperse the protesting cyclists.
The enveloping tension and the resulting traffic gridlock were tell-tale signs that the resistance was fierce. Motorists and commuters were left stranded in the melee that greeted the operation.
The Lagos State Government had on Wednesday announced an ‘indefinite and total’ ban on Okada operations in six local government areas of the state, including Ikeja, Surulere, Eti Osa, Lagos Mainland, Lagos Island, and Apapa.
The ban was the fallout of the killing of a sound engineer, David Imoh, in the Lekki part of the state.
The government also reiterated yesterday that the June 1 deadline for the ban in six LGAs of the state remains sacrosanct.
In a press statement by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, commercial motorcycles seizure by the state Task Force will continue, despite the June 1 deadline issued by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for them to leave six LGAs.
According to Omotoso, the deadline, however, does not invalidate the provisions of the Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law of 2018, which states that “no persons shall ride, drive or propel a motorcycle or tricycle on a major highway within the state, and any person in contravention of this provision commits an offence and will be made to face the wrath of the law.”
He added that the state Task Force, led by Shola Jejeloye, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), will continue to enforce the law
However, yesterday, policemen from the Onireke police station, Ojo, reportedly visited the area to impound some motorcycles to take them to their station.
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This was, however, greeted with outrage from Okada riders, who took to the streets to protest the ban.
The protest resulted in a violent clash between the security operatives and the motorbike riders.
The riders were said to have mobilised and pelted the police station with stones in an attempt to forcibly recover their impounded motorcycles.
The policemen, in retaliation, shot sporadically into the air to disperse the angry motorcyclists.
Omotoso confirmed the incident by saying: “In Iba on Lagos-Badagry Expressway, where it was violently resisted today, the Task Force seized 195 motorcycles. The riders were operating on highways and bridges in flagrant disobedience of the law because, according to them, they are free to ply unauthorised routes till June 1. This is wrong. February 1, 2020, directive has not been reversed.”
The Lagos State Police spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, who also confirmed the protest, noted that some of the riders pelted the police station with stones.
He, however, said it did not result in a clash, adding that some suspects were arrested in the process.
He noted that the area was calm as police officers were on the ground to ensure that peace was maintained.
“I am not aware of any clashes between policemen and Okada riders. I am aware that policemen went to the area to enforce the Okada ban and they impounded over 200 motorcycles and arrested some of the riders that were very unruly and confrontational.
“Yes. They were arrested but it didn’t degenerate into a clash. I can confirm to you that the area is calm, vehicles are now moving freely, and police officers are on the ground to ensure there is no breakdown of law and order.”
The riders made a bonfire in the middle of the road, as vehicle owners abandoned their motors by the roadside due to the chaos, thus creating heavy vehicular gridlock on both sides of the road. A combined team of anti-riot policemen and some soldiers were later deployed in the area to return to normalcy.
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The state Commissioner of Police, Mr Abiodun Alabi, while reacting to the incident, said many Okada operators in the state are criminals in disguise as they perpetrate so many nefarious acts across the state.
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“I want to be emphatic here, most of them are criminals masquerading as okada riders,” Abiodun said, adding: “We have arrested so many of them with locally made pistols in the course of their operations and many of them have been charged to court.”
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had announced a ban on commercial motorcycles in six local government areas on Wednesday after what he described as “a critical review” on the “menace that has not abated.”
Speaking on Channels Television’s flagship show ‘Sunrise Daily’ yesterday, the commissioner of police disclosed that many of the riders were unlicensed, and the government had to ban their activities after wide consultation.
He lamented the level of crime perpetrated with the aid of motorcycles in communities across the nation’s commercial capital.
“They use this Okada to commit a lot of crimes in so many communities; that is why we have been having a lot of dialogue and consultations with their unions,” he said.
“The best way out is to get them off our roads because a lot of them are masquerading as Okada riders, but are criminals,” he added.
Alabi was, however, not reluctant to admit that the ban had some drawbacks. “We know that banning the Okada riders can increase the crime rate and we are not unmindful of that, and we are already putting in place a lot of strategies to contend with it,” he said, adding, “We know that it will send a lot of them to unemployment. We are aware of that and are preparing for it.”
Meanwhile, Lekki Phase One Residents Association (LERA) has urged the state government to immediately enforce the ban on Okada riders and not wait till June 1.
LERA made the call at a news conference yesterday in Lagos after some residents protested at Lekki Phase 1 to express their grievances over the menace of Okada riders.
The residents displayed placards with inscriptions such as ‘Lekki Phase 1 says no to Okada’; Let’s take back Lekki Phase 1′.
Their protest was a reaction to a recent incident that occurred in the Admiralty area of Lekki, where a sound engineer, identified as David, was killed by suspected motorcyclists.
LERA’s chairman, Mr Yomi Idowu, said there was a need for immediate enforcement of the ban. “We sincerely appreciate and thank the Lagos State Government for being proactive and taking a stand on the total ban of ‘Okadas,’ he said.
He added, “The government has called for the ban from June 1, but we the residents of Lekki Phase 1, cannot risk the lives of all her residents and have Okadas running free in our neighbourhood.
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“If you recall, the state government had called for the ban on commercial motorcyclists two years ago, but to our chagrin, this was not properly enforced and soon the menace returned.
“We are, therefore, taking proactive measures and are calling for this ban to commence with immediate effect; we choose to live and say no to Okadas on our roads and streets.”
According to him, the association would take every step to ensure that the government law banning okadas from the roads was fully respected and strictly adhered to by all residents.
He stressed the importance of street gates and appealed to the Ministry of Transportation to work with the association to maintain, erect and sustain them, for the safety of the residents.
“We also call upon the Ministry of Physical Planning and New Towns Development Authority to carry out raids on incomplete buildings to flush out hoodlums and miscreants that use these places as hideouts,” Idowu said, adding that security was very important in the society.
“Our lives matter, and we will continue to do our utmost best to ensure the lives and properties of our residents are protected,” he said.
