BREAKING - Okada ban: There will be no breakdown of law and order, Police assures Lagos residents

 

The Lagos State Police Command has assured Lagosians of its readiness to prevent any

breakdown of law and order in its enforcement of ban on Okada riders in 6 local government areas of the state.

This is as the command has urged Lagos residents not to panic about the alleged plan by commercial motorcycle riders to disrupt activities in the state on June 1 over the ban on their operation.

The reaction by the Lagos Police Command followed reactions over reported plans of these Okada riders to cause unrest in the state.

This disclosure is contained in a statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Benjamin Hundeyin, on Sunday in Lagos and can be seen on the command’s official Twitter account.

Hundeyin said that the attention of the Command had been drawn to the panic message trending on the Social Media that motorcycle riders were planning to interrupt activities in the state.

What the Lagos State Police spokesman is saying

Hundeyin said, “The attention of the Command has been drawn to a panic-laced message making the rounds on social media purporting that motorcycle riders have concluded plans to disrupt social and commercial activities in the state from June 1, 2022 in protest of the ban on the use of motorcycles within six LGAs in state.

‘’The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, CP Abiodun Alabi, uses this medium to assure all Lagosians that all necessary human, material and operational resources had been deployed across the state to forestall any breakdown of law and order.

“A carefully drafted security architecture, resulting from a detailed crime-mapping of the state has been emplaced across the length and breadth of the state.

In addition, all Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers and tactical commanders have been placed on red alert towards any eventuality.

“CP Alabi enjoined all residents to go about their lawful businesses without fear of harassment or intimidation before, during and after the touted date for the purported civil disturbance.

“He assured that all officers and men of the Command are fully on top of the situation.”

In case you missed it

• Recall that on May 18, 2022, the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, had announced a total ban of commercial motorcycle operators otherwise known as Okada riders in 6 local government areas in the state.
• This is coming barely 2 days after a task force in the state embarked on a serious clampdown of Okada riders on the Lekki axis in a move that appears to be connected to the outrage that greeted the killing and burning of a young man, simply identified as David by suspected motorcyclists in the Admiralty area of Lekki, Lagos.
• The affected local government listed by the governor includes Ikeja, Surulere, Eti-Osa, Lagos Mainland, Lagos Island, and Apapa.

The new directive from the governor appears to be a follow up to the February 2020 restriction placed on the activities of these commercial motorcyclists in these areas.