As okada-related killing returns in Lagos, LANRE ADEWOLE, BOLA BADMUS, LEKAN OLABULO, SUBAIR MOHAMMED and DAYO AYEYEMI seek answers from stakeholders.
As of Friday afternoon, the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Isolo Police Station was still on admission at the orthopedic section of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) while the corpse of one of her officers laid in the mortuary, as police launched a manhunt for commercial motorcyclists who attacked them on Wednesday.
They were attacked by armed commercial motorcyclists who were resisting the seizure of their motorcycles by policemen deployed to the Cele Bus Stop area of the Apapa Oshodi Expressway.
The ban imposed on the activities of commercial motorcyclists, popularly known as okada, by the state government covers the area and the attack reportedly took place while the police officers were enforcing the restriction order.
The ban covers 10 local government areas and 15 local council development areas, including Kosofe, Oshodi-Isolo, Somolu, Mushin, Apapa, Ikeja, Lagos Island, Lagos Mainland, Surulere and Eti-Osa.
Worried by the attack on his men, the state Commissioner of Police, Idowu Owohunwa, on Thursday embarked on a tour of Area E, Festac, to speak with his men and officers there on how to ensure proper enforcement of the ban on commercial motorcycle operation.
The spokesperson of the state police command, Benjamin Hundeyin, told Saturday Tribune in a interview that the police would enforce total compliance with the okada ban in the state.
Hundeyin said two suspects had been arrested by the police and efforts were on to arrest other suspects who participated in the attack on the policemen.
The police image maker, in responding to allegations by commercial motorcyclists that policemen were extorting them, said: “I am not aware of the allegations against the officers. It is an offence to ride where there is a ban. It is another offence to give in to extortion.”
In an earlier statement, Hundeyin said: “While enforcing the existing ban on the use of motorcycles in parts of Lagos State, police officers of Isolo Division came under attack from motorcycle riders at Cele Bus Stop, resulting in the death of one Police Inspector and serious injury to the Divisional Police Officer (DPO).
“Two suspects have been arrested while 41 motorcycles were impounded. The Lagos State police command will not be deterred from carrying out its mandate of enforcing duly established laws.
“Citizens are urged to remain law-abiding, as riders and passengers alike arrested on prohibited routes will face the law.
“Above all, any form of attack on police officers will no longer be tolerated.”
Police provoking us –Okada operators
Seidu, a commercial motorcyclist in the Abule Egba area, had on Tuesday picked two passengers who were bound for Joke Ayo, Alagbado from Ekoro Junction. Less than one hundred meters from Iyana Ekoro, one of his colleagues told him that there were policemen around the area. But Seidu continued the journey until he almost ran into three policemen and some area boys.
He told Saturday Tribune that he quickly made a U-turn and rode against traffic into a street. He could not easily locate his way but he kept asking residents for direction. According to him, he veered off the road because he didn’t have any money to pay the policemen as the lowest amount they would collect if they seized his bike was N10,000.
He wondered why policemen in the state were in the habit of chasing okada riders for no reason.
“There is no ban here and they are arresting okada riders and collecting money from them. This is not the expressway but they still arrest us here,” Seidu lamented.
Another motorcyclist, who identified himself simply as Abubakar Ibrahim said: “It is true that some of us still ride on the expressway. For some months now, the police have not been disturbing those on the expressway but they are disturbing those of us in the inner roads. Towards the end of last year, men from the Task Force came to a filling station and impounded okada there.
“Those people did not ply the expressway. They were going to Fagba, Olaniyi, Social Road and other places but the police still impounded their okada. There was a serious clash between them and one of the okada riders was shot. The enforcement should be limited to places where there is a ban. The government has not totally banned okada in the state.”
Adeyanju, a commercial motorcyclist in the Jakande area of the state, said: “The state government should go beyond just announcing a ban. The police will arrest you and collect money from you. The union members still collect money around Cele and Mile 2. Where do they want us to recoup this money from?”
Adeyanju added: “When you see other people working, even on the expressway, you are also tempted to join them. The union members will collect N1,000. The police will collect between N10,000 and N20,000. The fact that the police collect money and release our okada and the presence of union members, who collect money from us, encourage us that we can continue to work.
“The state government should ensure that okada union members are taken away from the roads and also ensure that the police are sincere with the enforcement. Those are the two ways the ban can be effective.”
Another rider, who pleaded for anonymity, while speaking with Saturday Tribune, said: “Many of us risk the expressway. We know that anything can happen but we are always very vigilant. We seek information from our colleagues and commercial bus drivers on where there are policemen or Task Torce.”
Task Force speaks
The Director Press and Public Affairs, Lagos Task Force, Mr Gbadeyan Abdul Raheem, said the agency had been busy with the security of the state since January and there was no time it relaxed the enforcement of okada ban.
On Iju/Fagba’s allegation, he said at no time did the men of the Task Force shoot any rider in the area.
“We have not even reached Iju, Fagba axis and there was no time the men of the Task Force killed any rider there.
“If there is any arrest in Iju, Fagba area, it might be from the police division around the locality and not the Lagos State Task Force on Environmental Offences.
“You can check from the state police command’s Public Relations Officer.”
No statewide ban but… –Govt
The state government vowed to track the okada riders who attacked the police officers on duty at the Cele area and bring them to justice. It commiserated with the family of the deceased officer.
The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, said this while speaking with one of our correspondents on telephone in reaction to the development.
The commissioner also dismissed insinuations that the latest attack could be an avenue for the state government to place a blanket ban on okada business in Lagos. According to him, nothing like that is on the table for consideration.
Omotoso said the state doesn’t work in that manner, adding that all actions are always clearly thought out and well-researched before decisions are taken.
He said: “Nothing has changed. The Lagos State government doesn’t work in that manner. All actions are clearly thought out and well researched and whoever is involved, the stakeholders would be shown clear evidence of whatever they are going to decide upon.
“But this particular one is very sad. First, on behalf of Mr Governor, I like to commiserate with the family of the officer that died and assure our security personnel that the government will continue to serve them and do everything to enhance the performance of their duties.
“Those who perpetrated the act, they would be tracked and punished as a deterrent to others. Some of them, the okada riders, are doing genuine business but those who carried weapons to attack and kill a policeman on legitimate duties would be apprehended, prosecuted and made to pay for the crime they committed.
“But we would not, because of that, consider total or blanket ban on the business. Whatever action we are going to take will be well-thought out.”
We didn’t do it, says MOALS vice chairman
The state vice chairman of the Motorcycle Operators Association in Lagos State (MOALS), Alhaji Nurudeen Adedunmoye, dissociated members of the association from the murder of the police officer.
According to him, members of MOALS are law-abiding and don’t operate in areas okada operations have been prohibited.
He described the incident as unfortunate and called on the police and other law enforcement agents to fish out the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
He said: “The Lagos State government has banned okada riders from operating along Apapa-Oshodi Expressway and other restricted zones.
“But there are some part-time okada riders who, after their usual daily work, resort to riding their okada to earn additional income. To the public, okada riders in this category are our members but our members are registered and have identification cards with which they can be easily identified.
“Our association is a law-abiding one, and we restrict the operation of our members to the route approved by the government. So, I make bold to say that the erring okada riders are not our members and I call on the police to investigate the unfortunate incident and bring the perpetrators to justice.
“If the culprits are member of MOALS, we can easily identify them and hand them over to the police but they are not because we don’t have any of our members operating on the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway.
“The route is one of the areas okada operation is prohibited in the state.”
Timeline of killings
The Wednesday attack on police officers by okada riders and the killing of the Inspector marks a tragic trend in the state.
In September 2021, protesting okada operators murdered CSP Kazeem Abonde of the operations department of the state police command.
The scene was Ajao Estate where rampaging bikers resisted seizure of the motorcycles.
The police officer was hacked to death after he led a team to enforce restriction of their activities.
He was reportedly shot at during an argument with the bikers and as sympathisers were rushing him to a nearby clinic, his attackers allegedly smashed his head with stones and cudgels.
Just like their latest victim, the attackers also reportedly snatched his service pistol and pumped bullets into his head and body before leaving him to die.
When members of Abonde’s team, discovered that they were being overpowered by the rioters, they allegedly bolted, leaving their leader to the murderous lot.
Abonde, a Master’s degree holder in Law, was about to retire from the police into private practice and was said to have prevailed on his officers not to shoot at the irate protesters and was moving to pacify them when they seized him.
After finishing off the senior officer, the rioters also descended on a nearby police station to wreak more havoc.
On May 12, 2022, a band of okada riders attacked and killed a sound engineer, David Imoh, in the Lekki area of the state over N100.
Imoh was lynched and burnt to death following a disagreement with one of the commercial motorcyclists.
In May 2020, okada riders set ablaze a bus in Ikorodu after accusing the driver of crashing into their colleague.
In January 2020, robbers operating on okada killed a 22-year-old systems engineer, David Ntekim-Rex, at Jibowu Bus Stop while returning home from work.
On April 27, 2021, six people were feared killed during a clash between okada riders and members of the Road Transport Employers’ Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), in the Iyana Iba area of the state. The police however claimed that there were no fatalities.
In viral video recordings of the unrest, okada riders of the Northern extraction were seen destroying vehicles parked in front of the Lagos State University (LASU) campus while security personnel, including military, looked away.
Students who were kept behind their school gate were heard lamenting the destruction, querying the refusal of the military officers to restrain the destructive crowd.
A former governor of the state, Babatunde Fashola, initiated the Lagos State Road Traffic Law 2012. The RTL banned commercial motorcyclists from 475 roads, including 10 highways, 40 bridges and flyovers out of the 9,200 roads. It prescribed heavy penalties for offenders.
The law prohibits carrying of more than one passenger, children and pregnant women and operation beyond 8.00 p.m. on Victoria Island, Ikoyi and Ikeja, and 10.00 p.m. throughout the state.
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