Stop harassing okada riders, Lagos speaker tells police

Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, has asked the state Police Command to stop its officers and men from harassing commercial motorcyclists operating on inner roads as recommended by the traffic law.

Ikuforiji spoke during an interview with journalists in Lagos, according to a statement on Sunday.

Ikuforiji said, “It has come to our attention in the Assembly that some unscrupulous men in police uniform have been molesting innocent and law-abiding okada operators who have actually restricted their operations to inner city roads as contained in the new Lagos State Traffic Law.

“It is therefore very apt to call on the Lagos State Police Command to properly educate its men and officers.

“No rider who is already obeying the law should be molested at all. And under no circumstance should the motorcycles of such be confiscated.”

The Speaker said the law was aimed at ensuring the security and safety of all Lagosians, adding that no enforcement agency, especially the police, should misapply the law.

He said, “The truth of the matter is that the government has not banned okada operations in Lagos.

“What we did was to restrict their operations from our expressways and major roads to inner city roads where their lives and those of other Lagosians that patronise them would no longer be in danger.”

Ikuforiji, who also spoke on the state of the nation, stated that it was unfortunate that after 12 years of democratic rule, Nigeria was still battling to have reliable power supply.

He said, “If the needed importance had been accorded the independent power project initiated by the former governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu, that was meant to generate 370 and 540 Megawatts in its first and second phase, Nigeria would have by now been through with epileptic power supply.

“It is therefore my opinion that state governments should henceforth be allowed to generate electricity in the country if they so wish.”