There was serious confusion in the Idi Araba area of Mushin in Lagos State on Tuesday as irate commercial motorcyclists protested the seizure of their motorcycles by operatives of the Lagos State Task Force.
The angry riders who were said to be from the northern parts of the country caused serious pandemonium by setting bonfires on the road and chanting war songs.
Some hoodlums also reportedly took advantage of the situation to attack innocent persons and rob them of their valuables.
The police operatives were reportedly enforcing the state government’s ban on commercial motorcycle operations in some parts of the state when the Tuesday incident happened.
The policemen reportedly shot into the air to disperse the motorcycle riders and left the impounded motorcycles.
A resident of Mushin who identified himself as Taofeek told the Nigerian Tribune that “after the policemen had left, the Hausa riders mobilised themselves again and came out with dangerous weapons.
IN CASE YOU MISSED THESE FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
- Revealed! Details Of South-West APC Leaders Meeting With Presidential Aspirants
- Supreme Court Has Cleared Civil Servants To Participate In Politics, Falana Tells FG
- Battle For New Alaafin Begins As Ruling Houses Insist On Producing Next Oba
- Court Admits More Evidence Against Alleged Fake Army General, Bolarinwa
- I’m Every Man’s Choice Now, My DM Is Crazy —Eniola Badmus
- It Is Now Bye To Decency: Crazy Fashion Trends At Owambe Parties
“They blocked the major roads and were armed with knives daggers, iron rods and other weapons. The whole place became riotous.”
The resident also stated that “some area boys also took advantage of the situation to harass people and rob them.
“Everywhere was blocked. Access roads to Idi Araba and others parts of Mushin were blocked with stranded vehicles.”
One of the okada riders, Usman otherwise known as Dongo, said “enough is enough of police harassment. We are tired of the police. They said they ban Okada, what do they want us to do.”
He also added that “they said they banned it because someone was killed in Lekki, but this is Idi-Araba. Did they kill the person at Idi-Araba? They have carried my Okada which I bought on hire purchase, where will I get money to pay back the owner? I am finished.”
Spokesman of the Lagos State Task Force, Gbadeyanka Abdulraheem, while speaking on the incident, said: “We were in Idi-Araba to enforce the Lagos State order on the ban of Okada in six Local Government Areas of the state. Idi-Araba happens to fall under one of the LGAs.
“You know that enforcement is not an easy task. While enforcing the law, we were resisted but we were not deterred as we were able to seize 180 motorcycles.”
The task force image-maker also added: “The law is about the restoration of sanity in the state. I don’t know why they are protesting. Idi-Araba was not the only area we have gone for enforcement. It is a continuous exercise. People should not bring in ethnic colouration to the enforcement of law and order in the state.”
Lagos police-image maker, Benjamin Hundeyin, also said: “The task force went to the area to enforce the law on ban on Okada riders in the area. The Okada riders did not react but regrouped when officials of the enforcement agency had left.
“If you watch the video very well, you will see that there was no policeman or police vehicles captured in the video. It was not really a clash, but a protest.”
and then