Over 4,500 motorcycles confiscated in Lagos

The Lagos State Task Force said it had impounded no fewer than 4,500 motorcycles (okada) from riders, who had defied the states traffic law.

Head, Public Affairs Unit of the agency, Taofik Adebayo, made this disclosure on Sunday in Lagos.

Adebayo noted that the enforcement of the laws concerning the safety of lives regarding motorcycle riding in the state had drastically reduced the number of casualties recorded in hospitals.

“We have no less than 4,500 impounded bikes waiting to be crushed but at present, we are awaiting the Lagos State Government’s directives with the ones we have now,” he said.

“We are not relenting and we will continue to impound motorcycles that default as we come by them,” he said.

He added that there were so many illegal motorcyclists that had slipped their inspection and scrutiny into the city through routes that were used to smuggle goods.

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“This tells you that bikes still come into the state in their hundreds in spite of arrests made by law enforcement agencies.

“The influx of these displaced people is what is bringing an increase in the ‘okada’ business in Lagos,” he said.

Adebayo said that the laws regarding motorcycle riding in the state were not punitive in nature but corrective in order to reduce the high incidence of accidents related to motorcycle riding.

“The government did not totally ban okada but instead, restricted their activities to the inner streets of the city with a code of conduct to follow while operating within the specified streets.

“For instance, a rider is not supposed to ride without a helmet, the rider must be above 18 years, the rider must not carry anybody less than 12 years old, the rider cannot carry a woman that has a baby strapped to her back and cannot carry a pregnant woman.

“These are the laws that guide the operations of ‘okada’ riders in the state in order to reduce ‘okada’ related accidents.

“We usually carry out the raids at the early hours of the day or very late at night to catch unsuspecting hoodlums when they are at their most vulnerable state.

“During such period, there is no room to start screening and separating the innocent from the guilty but afterwards, the screening takes place and those with valid forms of identification are set free,” he said.

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