…To demolish shanties, confiscate abandoned structures, vehicles
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Monday said its administration is ready to fully implement the law banning commercial operators popularly called Okada riders in the State in coming days.
The State Government also set to demolish all shanties across the State.
Abandoned structures and vehicles are also likely to be confiscated as part of measures to forestall possible break down of law and order in the State.
These were part of communique issued at the end of a one day security stakeholders meeting held at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Alausa Ikeja.
The event was attended by traditional rulers, political leaders, civil societies, youth group, transport workers among others.
Sanwo-Olu said, “In recent times, we have recorded a worrying trend of nefarious activities in the State; from kidnappings, armed robbery, cult clashes and violent assaults.
“We have tried, as a State, to respond in real time to the majority of these challenges, and have deployed a range of tactics from force-for-force, to carrot-and-stick to diplomacy, and now this 3 multi-stakeholder town hall event to which we have invited everybody across various stakeholder platforms to deliberate and proffer solutions; after which we will make some pronouncements that are intended to go a long way in addressing majority of the identified challenges we have today.
“Conceptually speaking, it is important to cast this discourse into proper perspective in order to appreciate the import of this gathering today and the objectives thereof.
“Consequentially, to advance our interests and objectives as a state, in the context of security, is to ensure that we contain and arrest every form of aggression and crime that threatens the development, progress and growth of the state; and by so doing improve upon the welfare and quality of life of the citizens.
“For us in Lagos State, there is a direct correlation between security and long-lasting economic growth and development. We cannot speak of a 21st century megacity and the vision of a Greater Lagos if we are unable to assure and guarantee the security of our citizens and their properties.
“Not too long ago, we witnessed the mayhem that was unleashed in the aftermath of the ENDSARS protests here in Lagos in which a high-level of destruction and carnage ensued, including the destruction of police force units and commands, following clashes between criminal gangs and law enforcement officers.
“The resultant effect of the ENDSARS mayhem has contributed in no small way to the severely fragmented security architecture that we have today.
“On our part in the State, we have risen up to the arduous challenge of arresting this general state of insecurity with all the resources we have at hand. Now why do I call this an arduous challenge? It is simply because we are constrained by the fact that security is not the exclusive preserve of State Governments; the Nigeria Police Force and the Armed Forces are Federal Institutions, and we must therefore defer greatly to the Federal Government on issues of securing the state from both internal and external aggressive acts.
“Over the last couple of weeks and months, and in direct response to the growing spate of violence and insecurity in the state, we have instituted a number of measures designed to curb the activities that engender insecurity, all with a view to securing our state.
Some of the measures we have rolled out include: Monitoring of Abandoned Buildings and Properties:
“Having seen a general trend of hoodlums and miscreants converting abandoned buildings and construction sites within the State into crime havens, from which they plan and launch their criminal missions, the State Government has taken active steps to curb this menace, by commencing the full implementation and enforcement of the Lagos State Urban and Regional Planning and Development Law of 2019 as amended.
“This law prohibits the abandonment of buildings, whether under construction or completed, and also prohibits construction workers from remaining within the premises of buildings under construction, from 6pm daily. We will hold property developers and owners responsible for any breaches of these laws, and will not hesitate to seal off defaulting buildings.
“Since November last year, we have demolished several hundreds of shanties and illegal structures around the State.
“These shanties, by serving as hideouts for criminals, have exacerbated the insecurity situation in Lagos State. This clean up exercise will continue, even as we strive to ensure the creation of jobs and economic opportunities that will take people off the streets and give them the wherewithal to afford decent accommodation.
“We have noted with dismay the fact that Okada riders are disregarding and flouting the restrictions we imposed on their activities in certain areas of the metropolis. In this same vein, we have also observed with dismay the ongoing war between commercial motorcyclists and our law enforcement agencies.
“This propensity for lawlessness is not who we are as Lagosians. The Lagos State Road Traffic Law, enacted in 2012 to safeguard the lives of people and to maintain law and order on our roads,is the legal backbone for the restrictions put in place early last year and designed to curb the Okada menace in the State.
“As part of the restrictions put in place, we banned the activities of Okada and tricycle operators on key roads, highways and Local Government Areas. Sadly, many Okada and tricycle operators have continued to flagrantly disobey the law and, in some cases, resist enforcement by engaging in organised attacks on law enforcement agencies.
“We have also observed a worrying trend in which criminals have found commercial motorcycles a useful and enabling tool with which to perpetrate heinous crimes, with the motorcycles acting as quick-getaway vehicles.
“As we all know, no society can make progress amid such haughty display of lawlessness and criminality. Our mission of attaining a Greater Lagos can only be achieved when we all resolve to live in an orderly manner.
“Consequently, and based on all that we have seen and experienced in the past couple of weeks, as well as the increasing threat posed by the activities of commercial motorcycle operators to the safety and security of lives, we will in the coming days be announcing further changes to the parameters of motorcycle and tricycle operations in the State.
“We are excited to announce that next week, we will be launching what we term the “Last Mile Buses” that will ply inner roads and safely get commercial passengers to their final destinations. We envisage deploying over 500 of these buses to alleviate the pain associated with the restriction of motorcycle and tricycle operations.
“We also envisage that this initiative will also generate employment opportunities for Lagosians, including the commercial motorcyclist operators, who will be employed as operators of the Last Mile Buses.
Earlier in his address, the Commissioner of Police in the State, CP Hakeem Odumosu revealed, “The emergence of Okada business has undoubtedly and inadvertently increased the rate of road accidents in the State. This has led to the loss of lives and in many cases, permanent disabilities to victims as enumerated above. The high rate of Okada accidents is attributable to the lack of requisite training, impatience, flagrant disregard for traffic rules and regulations by operators among other reasons.
“Another undesirable consequence is the use of Okada for criminal acts as earlier stated in this presentation. Available record reveals that, 218 serious crimes were perpetrated with the use of Okada from January, 2021 till 12 date. Out of this figure, 92 were robbery in traffic, 26 were foiled armed robbery, 38 were cult activities; while 18 were murder incidents. In the same vein, 78 suspects were arrested, 58 arms were recovered, 480 ammunition were recovered while 320 Okadas were impounded in connection with various criminal and traffic offences committed with the use of Okada.
“General onslaught on their activities have had over 5000 impound by the State Command through its State Taskforce on Environmental Offences and other Police formations in the State.
“Another major security challenge being faced by the Command is the use of motorcycle as a means of transportation in the State. A combination of factors can be identified as being responsible for the advent of motorcycles as a means of intra-city transportation in Lagos State. Foremost amongst these, is the quest of the government to expand the land transportation system and provide employment opportunity to the citizens. This made the government to at the onset, grant approval for commercial motorcycle operations in the State with necessary legislation to regulate their activities.
“The government’s good intention of providing additional means of land transportation and creating jobs for the teeming unemployed youths, has been negated by the atrocities being perpetrated by the Okada operators in the State. This include, the use of Okada as a veritable tool to commit crime and get away with it by hoodlums; disrespect to traffic rules and regulations; the Okada operators becoming nuisance and reckless on our roads, resulting into avoidable accidents with attendant consequences on human life.
“Okada accidents on our roads are mostly caused by recklessness and lawlessness of its riders. It is common sight in Lagos metropolis to see Okada operators ride recklessly on highways facing on coming road users, especially during traffic peak periods.
“An ugly twist to all of these is that, anytime there is an accident caused by their reckless act, they (motorcyclists) often mobilize to traumatize the hapless motorists involved in the accident. They often times during this careless act of theirs, mob their victims, create avenue for their colleagues and other social miscreants alike, to unleash terror and theft of valuable items in the vehicle of the victims and other sympathizers around.
“The menace of Okada operators does not end with avoidable accidents as highlighted above. Crime reports from the field have shown that, a greater percentage of crimes, ranging from armed robbery, cultism, kidnapping, murder, burglary and stealing, traffic robbery to carjacking and cash snatching from bank customers, who go to the banks to make transactions, are attributable to armed hoodlums who operate on Okada. So also 8 movement of arms.
“It has also been established of Okadas being illegally used as a veritable means of conveying hard drugs from one point to another. The consequences of spreading of hard drugs and its consumption are better imagined than said.
“Another frightening menace of the Okada riders is the impunity with which they carry out their jungle justice on innocent and unfortunate members of the public.
“It was also on record that, hoodlums/cultists move about in large numbers on Okada mostly not registered to carryout attack on rival cult groups or reprisal on rival cultists and other criminal activities. This usually makes it impossible to track them. In the same vein; hoodlums with the use of Okada invade residential areas, especially, at night times, to rob innocent citizens while Kidnappers also use Okada to ferry away their victims in most cases.
“Records have shown that, they frequently snatch phones and bags from unsuspecting members of the public at bus-stops and crowded areas and disappear into thin-air in a jiffy before report could get to security agencies.
Typical example of this was what happened in Ikorodu roundabout on 22nd June, 2020 when a motorist, one Mr Usman Y. Bashir aged 58yrs was allegedly to have hit a beggar by Ikorodu roundabout (which never happened after investigation) and the man was pursued to Ijede area and hacked to death on broad day light. This shows how inhuman they are. They take laws to their hands with arrant impunity. Accomplices on Okada in armed robbery gang, have also been reported to ride ahead of armed robbers, who are escaping in robbed vehicles and pass information on police locations and movements through GSM to them, so that they can evade arrest. At other times, they conduct surveillance around selected persons, private and government facilities and other targets, before calling in the operational arm of the gang to strike. In most of these cases, security operatives have fallen victim as they are found to be attacked to decimate and destabilize them before going for their target,” police boss stated.
