The Lagos State Government has commenced the process of crushing 3, 000 motorcycles, popularly called okada, impounded from their owners for violating traffic law.
Officials of the state Taskforce on Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit on Tuesday dismantled the okadas at the task force yard in Alausa.
The Taskforce Chairman, Bayo Sulaiman, an Assistant
Superintent of Police, said after the end of the dismantling exercise,
the iron parts would be taken to the state Crushing Plant in Oshodi,
where they would be crushed and recycled.
He said the action was to show that the government
had stepped up its enforcement of the state traffic law, adding that the
crushing of the okadas would serve as deterrent to other commercial motorcycle operators.
Sulaiman said, “These are okadas impounded since the new traffic law was signed into law. There are 3, 000 of them. Okada riders
must obey our traffic law. They are fond of driving against traffic, on
kerbs and several unauthorised places. The law has been passed and
gazetted and there is no going back on its enforcement.
“We are dismantling the okadas now to
separate the parts that are crushable from the ones that are not
crushable. After this, we will take the crushable parts to Oshodi
crushing plant, where they will be crushed and recycled. The
non-crushable parts will probably be auctioned, but not in the state.
“The Taskforce has not started enforcing the law
fully. But this should serve as a warning to them because we won’t
hesitate to impound any okada caught on the restricted roads in the state.”
Sulaiman, however, said there were no riders to be prosecuted because the owners of the 3, 000 okadasabandoned them on sighting law enforcement officials.
On Monday’s protest by some of the riders, Sulaiman
said, “They have the right to protest, but the government will be firm
in what it does. It does not in any way stop our job, those who intend
not to obey the law, we are coming after them. The protest is a group
action, but our arrests will be one after the other and we will be out
there on a daily basis.”
According to him, the law has been passed and those who will not obey the law will be punished.
The task force boss, however, said the law’s compliance level was
improving on a daily basis. He advised the riders to go to areas where
their operations are not restricted.
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