Hundreds of commercial bike riders, popularly known as okada riders, at the Onipanu area of Lagos State took to the streets, protesting the incessant seizure of their motorcycles and extortion by members of the Nigeria Police Force serving at Alade Police Station.
The protesters, who grounded commercial activities at the area, begged the Lagos State Government to take a second look at the traffic laws in the state.
They argued that they had obeyed all the laws by keeping off the highways, but still policemen would not allow them to be.
The Chairman of the Amalgamated Motorcycle Operators of Nigeria, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: “We’re tired of the policemen from Alade Police Station.
“They are fond of extorting our members in Onipan and Somolu.
“We decided to go on the street to protest as a result of the way the police from Alade Police Station are extorting us.
“We understand that there is Law in Lagos State banning us from plying highway, but we have complied with the law and stopped plying the highways, yet they still come after our members and seize their Okada on the streets.”
According to the chairman, the policemen and their counterparts at Onipanu should stop chasing his members all over the streets.
He added: “These policemen from these two stations have turned us to their Automated Teller Machine because the least they used to collect from each motorbike seized from us is between N10,000 to N20,000, depending on the personality of the person who comes to bail the rider and the motorbike.”
The vice chairman of Somolu Local Government Area, Abiodun Orekoya, addressed the protesters, charging them not to take laws into their hands.
Orekoya said: “The law was to protect and safeguard the interest of you all.
“The Lagos State Government meant well for you all.
“I promise you that we would look into the matter.”
The protesters also went to the palace of the Oba of Somolu, Habib Olapade, to register their displeasure.
The Oba also urged them not to take the laws into their hands as the law was not from the policemen, adding that the police were only to implement the law.
The Oba also persuaded the police not to chase the motorbike riders, stressing that they too were humans, looking for how to survive.
One of the motorbike riders, Idowu Abiodun, alleged that the amount of money the policemen collect was too much.
Abiodun further said: “On Monday and Tuesday, about 25 motorbikes of our members were seized.
“That was part of the reasons we decided to stage this peaceful protest.
“To press home our demand.
“We are not the ones who employed the police and we cannot feed them as well.
“We want the Lagos State House of Assembly to come to our aid and rescue us from the untold hardship we are going through in the hands of the policemen.
“Sometimes, they even threaten us with gun if we do not comply with whenever they demanded for money from us.”
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