Lagos State Task Force on Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences, yesterday, carried out an operation where 355 commercial motorcycles (aka okada) were impounded over diverse contraventions.
The exercise, led by the chairman, Shola Jejeloye, took place in various locations across the state and lasted over five hours.
Jejeloye said the operation would be extended to every nooks and crannies of the state till the war against okada is completely won.
He highlighted complexities involved in arresting a rider, describing it as more difficult than apprehending an armed robber.
Jejeloye lamented that okada operators in Lagos are daring. He, however, promised that they are no match for the will and might of the task force.
He said: “Our success today is one of a kind, as a result of the numbers of motorcycles seized in this axis. We visited Alakija and Abule, some weeks ago. But we had to revisit here again, and also included Trade Fair/Badagry Expressway, this time, to achieve this result, and also send a clear message to these intractable okada riders.
“It is evident to these riders that there is no place for them in a mega city like Lagos. That is the reason we have continued hitting them, back to back, till they flee or turn a new leaf.
“Arresting an okada rider is more difficult than arresting an armed robber because of the nature of these bikes. Once they sight us, they can do and undo by maneuvering and riding against traffic, thereby endangering their lives, passengers, and that of other road users.”
Jejeloye assured Lagosians that every part of the state where okada activities have been banned will be visited and cleansed, till their operations become a thing of the past.
He urged residents to stop patronising okada riders and make use of safer means of transportation befitting a mega city like Lagos.
He reminded them of the position of the law which finds both the rider and passenger culpable if caught on the state’s highways or areas where activities have been completely banned.
