Emeka
Ibemere
The fear of election in Nigeria is the beginning of
wisdom for politicians in this clime of the world.
With the 2015 election fever breeze blowing across
the spectrum of the country and the re-strategising plots of political parties
to win election, there are subtle policy summersaults of sort going on to win
favours of the masses in the 2015 polls.
However, with both Ekiti and the Osun States’
election being over, there are fears that All Progressives Congress, APC, out
of fear of the 2015 election may have decided to reverse some policies,
perceived to be inimical to their interest come next year.
So, gradual and subtle reversal of policies made
earlier are now on top burner, as commercial motorcycle operators, popularly
known as (Okada riders), find their ways back to the highways and other nooks
and crannies of the State, with the recent alleged ‘diplomatic’ licence giving
to them by the Lagos State House of Assembly.
This policy reversal action has pitched the Lagos
State police Command against the Lagos State House of Assembly, who are trying
to heap the blame of arrest of Okada men in the State on the police.
Few days ago, the speaker of Lagos State House of
Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, asked the state Police Command to stop its
officers and men from harassing commercial motorcyclists operating on inner
roads as recommended by the traffic law.
Ikuforiji spoke during an interview with
journalists in Lagos. According to Ikuforiji, “It has come to our attention in
the Assembly that some unscrupulous men in police uniform have been molesting
innocent and law-abiding okada operators who have actually restricted their
operations to inner city roads as contained in the new Lagos State Traffic
Law”, he stated.
“It is therefore very apt to call on the Lagos
State Police Command to properly educate its men and officers. No rider who is
already obeying the law should be molested at all. And under no circumstance
should the motorcycles of such be confiscated”.
According to Ikuforiji, the law was meant to ensure
security and safety of all Lagos residents, explaining that no enforcement
agency, especially the police, should misapply the law.
“The truth
of the matter is that the government has not banned okada operations in Lagos.
What we did was to restrict their operations from our expressways and major
roads to inner city roads where their lives and those of other Lagos residents
that patronise them would no longer be in danger”, Ikuforiji quipped.
It is two years that the Lagos State Governor, Mr.
Babatunde Fashola, signed the Lagos Traffic Bill into law, banning Okada
riders, from plying 475 major routes within the state metropolis. The law which
was initiated at the Lagos State House of Assembly and debated for months was
signed by the governor, in his effort to build mega-city project.
By signing the law, the police was giving the
executive power to seize the motorcycles found violating the orders.
Then the governor Fashola’s case was that there
were incessant deaths caused by accidents involving okada riders and on August
2, 2012 signed the law, with the intention of ensuring safety and orderly flow
of traffic within the metropolis.
With several hue and cries over the ban, Lagos
State government pretended as if there was nothing wrong in the matter and
allowed the law to go on. Thousands of okada were seized, several operators
jailed and the Lagos State Seat of power was turned into motorcycle colony.
During the ban, Okada riders and their passengers, sustained varying degrees of
injuries, caused by the alleged high-handedness and unprofessional style
employed by men and officers of the State Police Command.
It would be recalled that because of the alleged
police intimidation, assault and extortion of their members by some policemen
and other law enforcement agents, commercial motorbike operators under the
umbrellas of the National Commercial Motorcycles and Tricycle Owners and Riders
Association, Motorcycle Transport Union of Nigeria, All Nigerians Autobike
Commercial Owners and Workers Association and Okada Riders Welfare Association
severally protested but deaf ear was giving to their plights. The
Association had claimed that over 7,000 okada seized by the Lagos State
Government have been impounded and forfeited to the state without first
obtaining court orders to do so.
However, because of complaints by residents,
operators over the alleged high-handedness of police officers in enforcing the
traffic law, the Lagos State House of Assembly, LAHA, condemned the over
zealousness of some police officers in the implementation of the law. They
called on the state Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko, to stop his men from
flouting the law and exposing the state government to ridicule by their actions.
They also called on the police authorities to
investigate all inhuman actions meted out to residents of the state by the
police. As it is, the LAHA seems to have softly and politically blamed the
government for all the ills caused by the ban of Okada in Lagos State. The
House blamed the police for exposing the state government to ridicule by their
actions.
But in swift reaction to the allegation of the
shoddy job on the arrest and intimidation of Okada riders, the Lagos State
Police Command, in her reaction on 19 August 2014, and signed by the acting,
Deputy Police Public Relations of Officer, ASP, Lelma Kolle, said the attention
of the Lagos State Police Command has been drawn to a publication entitle;
Lagos Assembly frowns against Police excesses against okada riders, which they
said was published by on the 14 August, 2014, was not good for the police.
“In that report, the Lagos State Police Command was
accused of indiscriminate arrest and exploitation against commercial
motorcyclists popularly known as (Okada riders). The Publication which
according to the reporter emanated from the Lagos State house of assembly also
draw the attention of the executive governor of Lagos State his Excellency
Babatunde Raji Fashola to call the attention of the Commissioner of Police Umar
A. Manko mni, to curtail the excesses of his men”, the Press Release stated.
“However, in view of the above, the Lagos State
Police Command wants to inform the general members of the public and the Lagos
State House of Assembly in particular that;
“One of the
constitutional duties of the Police is the enforcement of all laws and
regulations with which they are directly charged and under the authority of the
Police act or any other law. This being so, the Lagos State house of assembly
enacted the law prohibiting or banning okada riders from operating on express
roads and others restricted areas, that law was approved by the executives
governor of Lagos State his Excellency Babatunde Raji Fashola in 2012, the
Police in this regard are only enforcing the law as the law enforcement agent
of the society”.
“The enforcement of the law is only restricted to
such routes prohibited by the state government and there was no time such
enforcement was extended to other areas not covered by the law”, the Lagos
State Command, stated in their statement.
According to
the police, there wasn’t any formal complaint neither from any member of the
public nor even from the House of Assembly about such excesses of
indiscriminate arrest or exploitation and stated that the Lagos State Police
Command has a very cordial relationship with the okada union members.
“It is the believe of the Command that if there is
any excesses in the enforcement of the said law, the union chairmen will reach
to the Command but in this regard. The Command did not receive any formal
complaint from any unit of the okada union”, the statement further quipped.
“In conclusion, the door of the Lagos State Police
Command is always open for any member of the public who seeks re-dress against
any Police action”. The police however released vital telephone members to the
public, to reach the Command in case of such harassment. The numbers which are
toll free lines are – “07055350249, 07035068242 RRS Control 2 Alausa
08065154338, 07055462708 Control Room 3 SHQ: 08079279349, 0806399264 and 767
Toll Free Line,” the police said.
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