Lagos Task Force warns residents against patronising Okada 

The Lagos State Task ForceLagos State Task Force has issued a stern warning to residents against patronising motorcycle operators, popularly known as Okada.

The agency, in a statement on Tuesday, linked Okada to increased security risks, stating that it is a preferred mode of escape for criminals.

According to the statement by the Director, Press and Public Affairs, Lagos State Taskforce, Gbadeyan Abdulraheem, the task force has intensified its crackdown on Okada riders across the state, particularly in areas like Badagry Expressway, Mile 2, and Berger.

The operation, according to the agency’s spokesman, lasted about six hours was carried out under the instruction and directive of the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Adegoke Fayoade.

The agency, he said, took the operation to the Badagry Expressway, Mile 2, Second Rainbow Bus Stop, V-Naija Bus Stop, Alabasuru and Berger Bus Stop where recalcitrant okada operators had carried on with their activities illegally.

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The statement added that the task force’s chairman, CSP Adetayo Akerele, noted that the operation is ongoing and warned Okada operators who evade arrest to expect consequences.

On the issue of Okada riders claiming affiliation with the military to evade arrest, Akerele stated that there will be no exceptions in enforcing the ban on Okada operations on Lagos highways.

Some commercial motorcycles impounded by Lagos Task force recently.

“We encountered some form of resistance from operators who claim that the bikes belong to soldiers therefore are untouchable. I quickly cleared their doubt and used it as means to sound a note of warning that there are no sacred cows when it comes to restoring sanity on our roads,” he said.

Akerele further reminded uniform personnel who make use of okada as a means of transportation to and fro their beats to ensure that they are fully kitted in their regalia while on a bike and the only passenger allowed to be on a bike with them is another uniform personnel who is also fully kitted.

Consequently, the agency boss appealed to commuters to desist from patronising okada operators who pose not just safety risks to the passenger and rider but also a security risk to all residents due to the use of okada as a quick getaway means by criminal elements.

The agency reiterated the state government’s commitment to enforcing the Road Transport Sector Reform Laws of 2018, which prohibits Okada operations on all Lagos highways.