Okada Ban: Lekki Residents Raise Alarm Over Planned Attack
The Lekki Phase I Residents Association (LERA) has raised an alarm over an alleged plan by commercial motorcyclists popularly known as Okada riders to attack their community.
The alarm comes hours after the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu announced a total ban on commercial motorcyclists on all highways across six local government areas (LGAs) and nine local council development areas (LCDAs).
The affected councils are Eti-Osa, Ikeja, Surulere, Lagos Island, Lagos Mainland and Apapa and all the LCDAs under them.
The ban was imposed by the Lagos state government after a sound engineer and married dad-of-two, David Imoh was lynched by Okada riders over an N100 balance.
Speaking to newsmen, the Chairman of LERA, Yomi Idowu, said the residents have noticed the unusual presence of hoodlums in some uncompleted buildings in the area.
The chairman said:
“Intelligence reports reaching us are that following the raid on Okada riders and subsequent seizure of their bikes in Lekki Phase 1 by officials of Lagos State Taskforce, the riders, who believe the action was instigated by Lekki residents, are planning to attack the residents.”
Idowu urged the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to enforce the total ban on Okada.
READ ALSO: King Of Oniruland Alerts Lekki Residents Of Planned Attack By Okada Riders
Recall that Oniru of Iruland, King Abdulwasiu Lawal Abisogun II had earlier alerted the public after he uncovered a ploy by Okada riders to attack the Lekki area of Lagos.
In the circular issued, the monarch advised residents not to panic but cautioned Lekki residents to be security conscious.
Two days ago, the Lagos police commissioner, Abiodun Alabi, disclosed that most commercial motorcyclists are criminals as most of them have been caught with pistols.
Alabi while featuring on Channels TV’s Sunrise Daily also said most of the riders are not licensed and only use the job to commit crimes.
In his words:
“There have been consultations with their executive members in various communities and what we have been able to discover is that most of them are not even licensed and before God and man, I will assure you and I want to be emphatic here, that most of them are criminals masquerading as Okada riders.
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. But we know that they are using Okada as a kind of disguise to perpetuate their crime in many communities.
And that’s the reason why we have been having a lot of dialogue, consultations and meetings with their union and in the course of doing that, I believe that the best way out is to get them off our roads. Most of them are masquerading as Okada riders but they are criminals.”