Officials of Lagos State Task Force on Tuesday during an enforcement operation seized a total of 115 motorcycles out which 22 are branded commercial ‘Gokada and Maxokada.’
Chairman of the Agency, CSP Olayinka Egbeyemi, disclosed this in a release made available to newsmen by the Agency’s spokesperson, Mr Adebayo Taofiq, just as he insisted that owners, as well as operators of commercial ‘Gokada’ and ‘Maxokada’, must comply with the Lagos State Road Traffic Laws of 2012.
Egbeyemi, who disclosed that the enforcement operation was carried out on motorcyclists operating on restricted routes around Ikeja, Ojota, and Maryland, with of the operators arrested, sadly noted that activities of these newly branded commercial motorcycles ‘Gokada’ and ‘Maxokada’ operators were illegal and without any valid as they operated without documentation from the state government.
The Task Force boss reiterated that in accordance with the law, no commercial motorcycle operator was allowed to operate on 475 restricted routes, including highways and bridges across the state, saying it was an eye-sore seeing operator of these Gokada and Maxokada competing for the right of ways with motorists on highways and bridges across Lagos.
“The government enjoined members of the public to henceforth desists from patronising commercial motorcyclists on all restricted routes as passengers are as well liable for prosecutions.
“It was an eye-sore seeing operators of these newly branded commercial motorcycles (Gokada/Maxokada) competing for the right of ways with motorists on highways and bridges across the state,” Egbeyemi lamented.
He, however, stated that the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Zubairu Muazu, had directed that the arrested riders numbering 10 be immediately charged to court for prosecution.
According to the Agency, in the release, one of the arrested ‘Gokada’ rider, Mr Ayeni Francis, who claimed to be paying N3000 per day to a certain authority, said none of their members was aware of any documentation that should be processed with the state government.