Protest in Lagos as police seize over 200 commercial motorcycles of errant riders

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Protesting Okada riders, on Thursday, blocked the Alaba Rago axis of the Badagry Expressway following the clampdown on errant operators by the police.

Policemen from Area E Command and Taskforce on enforcement duty, on Thursday morning, impounded over 200 motorcycles for allegedly flouting the State traffic laws.

The police renewed their clampdown on motorcycles following the murder, last week, of an engineer, David Imoh, by a mob consisting of Okada riders in the Lekki area of Lagos.

The lynching and burning of the engineer attracted widespread condemnation, which prompted the State government to review the restriction placed on motorcycles on major highways and some city routes.

But in spite of the outright ban by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in six local government areas, some of the motorcyclists continued to ply as usual, including riding against traffic on major highways.

It was gathered that policemen, who have been on special alert against recalcitrant commercial motorcycles across the State caught some of them in the act and immediately impounded their bikes.

According to a resident, news of the clampdown soon got to their colleagues around Onireke, hence they started protesting.

The aggrieved riders, the source said, claimed that they were not operating along banned routes.

He said they lamented that the police were in the habit of seizing their bikes and demanding huge amount of money to release them, adding that those who could not afford to pay had their bikes crushed.

But the police spokesman, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, said calm has since returned to the area.

He said the joint police team impounded over 200 bikes and arrested some suspects.