BIG STORY
JUST IN: Lagos Imposes Total Ban On Okada In Six LGAs [Video]
The Lagos State government, on Wednesday, announced a “total ban” on commercial motorcycles, popularly called Okada, in six LGAs in the state.
Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos, announced the directive while briefing the state’s security agents on Wednesday.
The six local governments listed by the governor are Ikeja, Surulere, Eti-Osa, Lagos Mainland, Lagos Island, and Apapa.
Sanwo-Olu said, “The whole of Ikeja, Surulere, Eti-Osa, Lagos Mainland, Lagos Island, and Apapa local governments have been placed on a total ban effective from the first of June. This is the first phase of banning that we are going to be embarking on so that others should know… They should find something else to do.”
Sanwo-Olu further advised residents patronizing Okada riders on highways to embrace the alternative transport schemes already provided by the Government to plan their journey.
According to him, the government had provided Last-Mile Buses, medium-capacity and high-capacity buses in the affected areas for the convenience of commuters.
“We will not sit back and watch criminally-minded people use motorcycles to perpetrate crimes and criminality in Lagos. Lives are being lost on a daily basis, preventable accidents are happening every day and the riders are not respecting any of our traffic laws. The situation has led to a complete breakdown of law and order. This ban has come to stay and we will not tolerate any weakness in enforcement.” he said.
Earlier before the ban, the Chairman of Lagos State Taskforce, Shola Jejeloye was said to have stormed the Lekki axis in a sting operation where 115 motorcycles were seized for flouting the State Traffic laws of operating on restricted routes and plying the State’s Highways.
Jejeloye emphasized that as part of the agency’s effort to clamp down on uncooperative and killer okada operators in the state, it would continue with its mob up exercise to rid Lekki axis and the entire State of unscrupulous Okada operators who have refused to heed the sound of warning and carried on with their illegal operations.
“This operation will be a continuous one not just in Lekki but in every other part of the State, and we will make sure that their activities are truncated till they abide by the rules. They will never be above the law no matter how large their numbers are” he said.
The chairman further urged residents of the state to join efforts with the Government in ensuring that the fight to restore and maintain sanity on Lagos Roads is won collectively in order to improve security.
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