Protest as Lagos police seize over 200 errant motorcycles

The Nation reports that policemen from Area E Command and Taskforce on enforcement duty had impounded over 200 motorcycles for allegedly flouting the state traffic laws.

The police had renewed their clampdown on motorcycles following last week’s cold blood murder of a sound engineer, David Imoh, by a mob consisting cyclists at the Lekki area of Lagos.

The lynching and burning of Imoh attracted widespread condemnation which led the State Government to review the restriction placed on motorcycles on major highways and some city routes.

In spite of the outright ban by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in six Local Government Areas (LGAs) and their LCDAs, some of the motorcyclists continued their business as usual, including riding on major highways against traffic.

It was gathered that policemen, who have been on special alert against recalcitrant commercial motorcycles across the State caught some of them in the act and immediately impounded their cycles.

According to a resident, news about the clampdown soon got to other of the motorcyclists’ colleagues around Onireke who started protesting.

The aggrieved riders, the source said, claimed that where the operated were not among the banned routes.

He said they lamented that the police were in the habit of seizing their bikes and demanding huge money to release them, adding that those could not afford the demanded sum would have their bikes crushed.

Contacted, police spokesman, SP Benjamin Hundeyin said calm had since returned to the axis.

He said the joint police team impounded over 200 bikes and arrested some suspect

The State Government has also issued a 14-day quit notice to traders at the popular Alabo Rago market to enable its remodeling.

A joint state team led by Commander, Rapid Response Squad (RRS), CSP Olayinka Egbeyemi and Chairman, Lagos State Environment and Special Offences Unit (Taskforce), CSP Sola Jejeloye, met the occupants of the market in clusters to inform them of the vacation order.

The Nation reports that the order followed months of negotiations between the parties on the need to modernise the market and put more security checks in place.

Addressing representatives of the occupants, Egbeyemi said emerging security reports from the area have shown that Alaba Rago has become a den of criminals.

He said last week’s recovery of several guns in Alaba Rago by Ojo Police Division and the revelation by drug dealers that they regularly funnel drugs through the area to several parts of the state were more reasons the government needed to move swiftly to restore orderliness.

Egbeyemi said demolition of the area was in conformity with government’s T.H.E.M.E.S agenda on Environment and Security, adding that government was bothered by the shanties and the filthy conditions of the area, hence modernising it would be in the best interest of the occupiers.

He urged the occupiers not to read ethnic and religious meanings into the exercise, noting that Lagos State is a point of convergence for all Nigerians, irrespective of religion, ethnicity or tribes.

CSP Jejeloye who also addresses some of the occupants told them the demolition could have been done during Ramadan but the state government delayed to allow those who might have travelled to return.

He told them to pick their belongings and relocate temporarily from the market as no further excuses would be accepted after the 14 days.