The police in Lagos State stopped a protest embarked upon by hundreds of commercial motorcycle riders who on Monday had mobilised to march against the state government’s new traffic law.
The commercial motorcycle riders were turned back almost immediately by armed police officers as they took off from the Labour House at Yaba.
The protesters were made up of civil society groups and the okada riders. They were set to march from the Nigeria Labour Congress House towards Alausa secretariat when they were stopped.
Heavily armed policemen led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Tunde Sobulo, halted the protest, stating that the okada riders should shelve all protests since the matter is already in court.
Sobulo also stated that “miscreants” could hijack the protest since the protesters had no permit to embark on the strike.
Following the plea by the DCP, the Joint Action Front, the organizers of the protest, subsequently shelved the protest.
“Our own intelligence report revealed there are people who are not part of us that will join us and cause police to tear-gas us,” said Abiodun Aremu, JAF’s Secretary.
The okada riders have been at logger heads with the Lagos state government since the restriction of activities to about 426 inner roads in the state.
Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola had blamed most untimely death ,robberies and accidents on the influx of okada riders in the state while stating that the restriction is for the good of both the riders and the citizens. As a way of ameliorating the plight of the affected riders,the state government have offered to train riders to acquire entreprenuerial skills but this move was rejected by the riders.
To express their displeasure over the new traffic law ,the okada riders had descended on the state government owned BRT buses and Lagbus destroying the vehicles.
During Monday’s protest,two executive members of the motorcycle union Simeon Aremu and Yusuf Oladimeji, Chairman of Ifako-Ijaiye branch of an okada riders union and State Secretary respectively were arrested by the police.
Mr. Aremu condermned the police for the arrest stating that a mass action will soon consume the state.
“There’s no law that states that police permission is needed before you can protest, they want to instill fear in all of us. We must conquer that fear,” he said.
Police Spokes person Ngozi Braide in a statement stated that the okada riders are engaging in civil disobedience which can lead to breakdown of law and order in the state.
The statement read in part “In the interest of peace, they(Okada riders) are warned to desist from such plans as whoever that is found wanting or disturbing the peace of the State will be dealt with, in accordance with the laws of the land.
The Commissioner of Police is hereby advicing all Okada riders to remain calm and embrace peace since their matter is alraedy in court of law and would be decided soon.
Meanwhile members of the public are enjoined to go about their lawful businesses and duties as adequate security has been put in place to safeguard lives and properties”DSP Ngozi Braide