Okada riders protest killing of colleague in Lagos

There was pandemonium, yesterday, in Ajegunle area of Lagos State after commercial motorcycle operators popularly called Okada riders stormed the streets in protest against the killing of a colleague by a commercial bus.



The motorcyclist was riding along Orege area, Ajegunle, when the commercial bus hit him, Tuesday evening.

Following the incident, the victim’s colleagues force the driver to take him to the hospital in the area.

It was gathered that doctors in the hospital referred the victim to the GeneralHospital at Marina, LagosIsland.

A man who simply called Akeem said the riders were planning to set the bus ablaze in front of the hospital but someone informed the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, of Ajegunle police station, CSP Abayomi Agbana who drafted a team of policemen to the scene.

The Area ‘B’ Apapa Commander, ACP Muhammed Ali, when he was contacted also sent a patrol team to the scene.

About 30- motorcycle riders followed the vehicle conveying the victim to the hospital at Marina.

Immediately news filtered in that the victim had died, they returned to the area and blocked the Orege-Otto Woff road.

Some of them armed themselves with dangerous weapons like sticks and iron which they freely used in smashing the windscreens of four commercial mini- buses before policemen arrived the scene and fired some shots into the air to disperse them.

While some escaped with their motorcycles, seven of them abandoned their bikes and took to their heels. The police impounded the motorcycles and moved them to Ajegunle police station.

A police source at the station said the driver of the bus that caused the crisis was also arrested and detained at the same station with the bus. The source said the motorcyclists were not supposed to operate on that road because it is one of the routes LagosState government restricted them from operating.

State Police spokeswoman, Ngozi Braide could not be reached as at press time as she was said to be in a crucial meeting.