Some Okada riders yesterday took to the street in the Lekki area of Lagos state to protest the arrest of some of their members by police officers of the Maroko division.
The police officers were acting on the directive by the residents’ association in the area who wanted the operation of motorcycles stopped. The irate motorcyclists were said to have damaged more than 15 vehicles parked along the road-side in the Lekki Estate Phase 1, while injuring some residents in the process.
Some of the riders who were seen wielding cutlasses barricaded the Lekki-Ikoyi Bridge for over an hour and they chased policemen in the estate away. The Police Public Relations Officer Kenneth Nwosu described the incident as unfortunate. He said: “What the residents say they want is in line with keeping their neighbourhood safe. If you identify the cause of crime in your area and you want to stop it, I don’t understand why anyone should be crying more than the bereaved.
There are places in Lagos where okada riders are not allowed to operate at all and nobody is complaining.This morning, the motorcyclists attempted to breach the public peace and we advised them against it. Those who refused and went ahead to foment trouble were arrested by our men. We have restored sanity to the area and everyone has started going about their lawful duties”.
