Protest: Police nab eight commercial motorcyclists in Delta

The Police in Delta State have arrested eight motorcyclists for embarking on a violent and destructive protest in Asaba Metropolis on Monday and impounded 53 motorcycles.

Some commercial motorcyclists popularly known as Okada riders had embarked on a violent protest within the Asaba metropolis, over alleged killing and maltreatment of their members by officials of the State Task Force.

The Task Force enforces the ban on late-hour operations in Asaba, when it is about 8:00p.m.

According to spokesperson for the command, Bright Edafe, who confirmed the arrest, the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Department of Operations, ACP Efeizomor George, on the directive of the Commissioner of Police, Abaniwonda Olufemi, led a team of operatives to arrest what he called “recalcitrant motorcycle riders”.

Edafe explained that the police team successfully carried out the raid to restore peace and further put a halt to the rancorous demonstration within the metropolis.

He said the command decried the violent protests because of the negative impact it had on the economic growth of the state.

Edafe, however, reaffirmed the command’s commitment to ensuring that the state remained peaceful, even as he appealed to all and sundry to remain calm and be law-abiding at all times.

Meanwhile, the Director-General of the Delta State Capital Territory Development Agency, Chief Patrick Ukah, has called for calm over protests by Okada and tricycle riders in the state capital.

Ukah in a statement, after inspecting the scene of destruction yesterday, condemned the action of the protesters for the wanton destruction and vandalisation of property at the Motorcycle and Tricycle Operators Association (COMTOA) Secretariat.

He said the Agency was in touch with the Office of the Secretary to the State Government, the leadership of COMTOA, and representatives of the Arewa community with a view to resolving issues that led to Monday’s rampage.

While appealing to residents of the capital territory for patience and cooperation, Ukah noted that Delta was known for communal living and warned that the state government would deal decisively with anyone found to be disobeying laws of the land.

He, therefore, called for calm while the government deals with the issues that led to the rampage.