How Kano, Katsina, Kaduna, Plateau tackled okada menace

THE recent ban on commercial motorcycle operation, popularly referred to as okada, in some strategic areas of Lagos State has led to an exodus north-ward of the operators who are of northern extraction.

The dire security situation in many northern states may have, in the first instance, been responsible for the movement down south of the northern youths who constituted the majority of the riders affected by the Lagos okada ban. In key states in the North, security concerns have made state governments place one form of restriction or the other on the operators.

Kano 

A former Kano State governor, Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, had in 2011 during his second term, banned the use of motorcycles as a means of commercial transportation. The move was meant to curtail the security challenges facing the state at the time. Subsequent administrations have sustained the ban.

The law banning okada in the state restricts riding of a motorcycle to only one person. People are allowed to ride on motorcycles on the road but they cannot do so with another person, be it a passenger or a relation.

The law had been necessitated in part by the conviction that activities of insurgents were being aided by the use of motorcycles.

Over the years, some okada riders in Kano State have circumvented the ban but a considerable number of them have gone into the operation of Keke NAPEP (tricycle) which was introduced as another mode of transportation in the city and other major towns in the state. What is found in Kano today is a deluge of tricyles which have effectively taken over from motorcycles.

 Kaduna 

Following persistent security threats in Kaduna State as Boko Haram was using motorbikes to wreak havoc, a former governor of the state, Ramalan Yero, enacted a law banning okada in the state capital.

Yero went ahead to introduce Keke NAPEP. The use of okada was only allowed in the satellite towns.

When the incumbent governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, assumed office, he did not mince words in telling okada operators that the law banning their operation in the state capital remained in force. But in spite of this, commercial motorcycle operators are still seen within the metropolis illegally carrying passengers to restricted areas.

An official of the state’s traffic agency, KASTELA, who pleaded for anonymity, said: “It is an offence for okada riders to ply their trade in the central area, but every day, we have dozens of defaulters. A fine of N5,000 is imposed on a defaulter but this has failed to serve as a deterrent. Some have even been charged more than 10 times.”

An okada rider who gave his name as Abubakar Isa claimed that joblessness forced him into the business, with which he fends for his family. He acknowledged that the restriction of their operation was negatively affecting the business.

Katsina

In Katsina State, the government banned the use of motorcycle for commercial purposes between 7.00 p.m. and 6.00 a.m.

The governor, Aminu Bello Masari, signed the order which was read by the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Alhaji Ahmed El-Marzuq.

The order, which was backed with law, took effect on January 20 and it applies to all except members of paramilitary agencies and police personnel.

“Most of the kidnappings and other criminal activities are perpetrated within these hours using this means of transportation.By the time the situation normalises, the order will be reviewed,” El- Marzuq said.

As part of measures to impose the restriction statewide, Masari recently pleaded with the Nigerian Air Force to use their surveillance cameras and arrest anybody spotted to be riding motorcycles in the rural areas at night.

Masari made the request when he paid a courtesy call on the Chief of Air staff, Air Vice-Marshal Sadiq Baba Abubakar, at the air force headquarters in Garki, Abuja.

He explained that motorcyclists seen in the forests at night must be shot since many of them are bandits.

The governor declared that since the executive order came into effect, cases of kidnappings and banditry had reduced in the state.

Plateau

Following increased threat to security in Plateau State, occasioned by various crimes in major cities allegedly perpetrated by some commercial motorcycle operators, a former governor of the, Jonah Jang, in 2010, signed into law, the bill prohibiting the operation of commercial motorcycles within the Jos/Bukuru metropolis.

The law was initially resisted by the operators but the protests by the commercial motorcycle riders did not dissuade the former governor from going ahead with the implementation.

Although okada riders are very visible in the suburbs, they are not allowed in the city centre. To cushion the effect of the enforcement, the state government then introduced the use of tricycles and cabs. However, Saturday Tribune’s findings revealed that the motorcycle riders have started making incursions into the city centre with the security agencies, especially the police, shirking their responsibility in this regard.

There is also the fear that the ban on okada in some local government areas in Lagos State might see the operators relocating to Jos, the Plateau State capital. Worried by the development, the state House of Assembly, during the week, called for the full enforcement of the law banning the operation of commercial motorcyclists in Jos.

The House, in a motion by Honourable Daniel Nanbol, the member representing Lantang North Central, expressed concern over the non-compliance to the law by motorcyclists.

Nanbol told the House that there was a law banning the operation of motorcycles in Jos and that even tricycles have designated areas within which to operate. He noted that the unchecked operations of okada and keke riders in the state constituted a security threat to the residents.

“It is not safe to board even tricycles in some areas. It will be good for the law enforcement agents to do their job,” he said.

The member representing Jos North Constituency, Baba Hassan, also expressed worry over the high level of insecurity stemming from the unchecked operations of okada and keke riders in the state.

Also, the House Majority Leader, Daniel Naanlong, said that it was imperative for the people to adhere to the law. “We must ensure that the laws we enact are fully implemented,” he said.

The Speaker, Abok Ayuba, agreed with his colleagues, saying that it was sacrosanct that the laws passed by the House be fully implemented.

“The laws we make must be implemented and we must call on those who fail to enforce this implementation to come before us and explain the reason for their failure,” he said.

Sokoto

In Sokoto State, however, there is no law restricting the use of okada as a means of transportation, even across the 23 local government areas of the state.

Our correspondent who monitored activities in the state confirmed that the state has no extant laws banning the use of either okada or keke as means of transportation.

Speaking with Saturday Tribune, Iliyasu Abubakar, an okada operator in the state capital, disclosed that as far as he knew, there was no law restricting the activities of commercial motorcycle riders in the state.

He said: “The only law I know of is that you are not allowed to carry two passengers at a time. If you are caught with two passengers on your motorcycle in Sokoto, you are in soup.

“Apart from that, I can’t easily remember any other law. Once you register your bike with the appropriate authorities and keep paying your tax, you will be okay.

“On Keke NAPEP, you will recall that when people used cloth to cover their tricycles as a form of window blind and loud speakers which created nuisance, the police issued a statement banning the use of those stuffs on Keke NAPEP and it was effective in the state. You can make a dare and see what happens.”

Jigawa

Okada business flourishes in Jigawa State and it involves thousands of youths, including those from neighbouring states where it is illegal.

The state passes as one with the highest number of okada riders in the north of the country.

The state chairman of the Okada Riders Association, Malam Abbas Fagoji, told Saturday Tribune that the association has over 20,000 registered members in the state.

According to him, the majority of okada riders in the state are from neighbouring states.

Fagoji explained that okada business “is reliable and dependable because with it, many of us are taking care of ourselves and our families.”

He identified motorcycle snatching by armed robbers as the most challenging aspect of the business in the state.

Bauchi 

In Bauchi, commercial motorcycle operation is coordinated by unions formed by the operators while security agents, from time to time, conduct random security checks to ensure that they comply with rules and regulations.

A leader of one of the unions, who spoke anonymously to Saturday Tribune, disclosed that any operator found to be unregistered with any of the unions’ branches would be stopped because it is through registration that members can be monitored effectively.

He said there is an understanding with the state government that members would be of good conduct and ply their trade in accordance with the laws of the land. He said this has been largely responsible for their ability to regulate their operation.

Although he agreed that there are a few bad eggs among them, his union is doing everything to identify them out and hand them over to security agents.

He said further that the union operates day and night shifts, stressing that all those who operate in the night must register with the police every day in order to keep track of them.

As for keke operators, he said they, too, have a union that regulates their operations, which is only in the daytime as they do not operate in the night.

Zamfara

In Zamfara State, okada business, popularly known as kabu-kabu, or as other people call it, achaba, is as old as the state itself.

Successive administrations have tried in many ways to regulate the operation of the business through the establishment of a union called Amalgamated Union of Motorcycles Riders Association with branches in all 14 local government areas of the state.

The main purpose of establishing the union was to sanitise their operation through registration of members.

The union is powerful, given its contribution to the economy of the state and the local governments.

Saturday Tribune gathered that following the spike in criminal activities, particularly banditry, it was discovered that most crimes were being carried out with the aid of motorcycles as a means of escape.

Saturday Tribune learnt that past administrations in the state made laws restricting the operation of okada riders, particularly in the heat of cattle rustling, banditry and kidnapping.

However, when the present administration in the state took over and a relative peace was being enjoyed as a result of reconciliation initiatives, the restriction on okada became relaxed. The operators now operate freely any time of the day.

Kebbi

In Kebbi State, the use of motorcycles as a means of transportation has so far not been linked to any major criminal activity in the state.

The chairman of the Association of Commercial Motorcyclists in the state, Malam Nsiru Zaki, told Saturday Tribune that members of the association across the state under his watch have been operating legitimately. According to him, his members have provided intelligence to security operatives which have led to a series of arrests of criminals in their various hideouts.

Reports from Muhammad Sabiu (Kaduna), Kola Oyelere (Kano), Adamu Amadu (Dutse), Mohammed Abba (Katsina), Ishola Michael (Bauchi), Olakunle Maruf (Sokoto), Attahiru Ahmed (Gusau), Isaac Shobayo (Jos) and Ayodele Ajoge (Birnin Kebbi).