By Utitofon Idara
With effective from September 1, 2022, the Lagos State government had given orders to stop the commercial motorcycles popularly known as Okada from plying her major roads in the city centre. The stoppage was followed immediately by the directive that the Nigeria Police Force, the Army, the Navy and other Law Enforcement Agencies within the State came up with an “Anti-Okada Squad” to adhere to the implementation of the ban. So far 10 out of the 20 local governments’ areas are affected by this law.
The commissioner for Transportation, Dr Frederic Oladeinde , while talking on thisdaylive in August said, “Having critically accessed these resolutions and the challenges of Okada Operations on the Security Architecture of the State, I recommended to Mr Governor not to go back on the already laid down phased ban in a bid to sustain the gains.
“The state government has received empirical reports from the Ministry of Health, Lagos State Health Service Commission and the Lagos State Police Command on the accident and crime rates in order to analyze the impact of the ban on Safety and Security before the ban within the affected areas of the State.”
He stated that there was a significant reduction in the number of accidents in July involving Okada since the inception of the partial ban within the State. He went on to State categorically in a live broadcast on TVC News that both the rider and the passenger risked years in jail for breaking this law.
However, there has been news and videos making the round that police officers now use most of the seized motorcycles to do the same work they not too long ago condemned and are still enforcing the ban.
“A video I have showed a police officer trying to defend himself saying he went to buy food with the motorcycle while those talking to him were insisting they saw him collected money from a passenger. He kept saying the money was the balance he got from the food he bought.
“During the seizure, some of these poor riders were either wounded or arrested; some are still in the custody.
“As much as this law was made to reduce the incessant insecurity and provide security for the citizens, the same law enforcers are seen carrying passengers pretending to either be running errand for a superior officer among other excuses.
The sad question one might ask is, why are they allowed to carry out this illegal business? Are they above the law or do they have immunity? What hope is there for those who once used this form of business to feed their family? Some claimed that not all seized motorcycles were destroyed by the government that some are what the officers now use for their own illegal business.
Precisely, on the 15th just last week, I attended a Capacity Building Training organised by Centre for Democracy and Development along Joel Ogunnaike, a Popular Street in GRA Ikeja Lagos State.
After closing, while waiting for a bus, there came a police officer, and after pleasantries which are not a very common thing with most of them, he asked where I was heading. I told him Ikeja bus-stop, he said “let me carry you it is #300” to get my facts I joined him, for those conversant with that area you will agree that it is very wrong for this officer to be doing this because along that routet is the Nigeria Police College and the Police Force Headquarters Area F.
“Hence, I was curious and waiting for any officer that would stop us but I was disappointed because all those we passed just did as if nothing happened, in fact, one of the traffic controllers greeted him.
Finally I asked? Why are you carrying passengers in uniform? And why so expensive, he said he needed money and that I could not get any at a lesser price since okada is under ban.
And, adding to that, because of the ban, he would not get to my destination I alighted and paid his money, watch him turn just at the general hospital, and he picked another person and continued.
What is the purpose of a law if it is not properly implemented to the latter. How do these officers gain the people’s respect if they after forcefully taking these motorcycles from their owners, only for the same officers to be seen doing what the state government had condemned and banned? These are among questions begging for answer in this regard.
