Okada ban coming to other areas soon — Sanwo-Olu

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Wednesday said the ban on Okada will get to other areas of the state, warning that Okada riders should find something else to do.

Mr Sanwo-Olu stated this on Wednesday while announcing a total ban on Okada on all highways across six local government areas (LGAs) and nine local council development areas (LCDAs) of the State.

The affected councils are Eti-Osa, Ikeja, Surulere, Lagos Island, Lagos Mainland, and Apapa. The ban will be effective from June 1, 2022.

Sanwo-Olu gave out the directive at a meeting with the commissioner of police, area commanders and divisional police officers (DPOs) at the State House in Alausa.

The ban followed the lynching of a sound engineer identified as David on May 12 in Lekki by some commercial motorcyclists.

David and two of his colleagues were attacked over N100 but he lost his life while others sustained serious injuries.

The government had placed restriction on the activities of the commercial motorcycles in February 2020.

Sanwo-Olu said the government took the decision in line with the State’s Transport Sector Reform Law of 2018 to immediately address the chaos and menace created by operations of Okada in the listed areas.

He said: “After critical review of our restriction on Okada activities in the first six Local Government Areas where we restricted them on February 1, 2020, we have seen that the menace has not abated. We are now directing a total ban on Okada activities across the highways and bridges within these six Local Government and their Local Council Development Areas, effective from June 1, 2022.

“This is a phased ban we are embarking on this period, and we expect that within the short while when this ban will be enforced, Okada riders in other places where their activities are yet to be banned can find something else to do.”