The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Okada

  • Okada rider injured in crash

    A commercial motorcyclist aka Okada rider is lying ill in hospital following an accident in Isolo, Lagos.

    He was rushed to the Isolo General Hospital from where he was referred to Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) in Idi-Araba.

    An eyewitness, Mr Tunde Olukeye, said the okada rider was trying to overtake a truck when the accident happened around 11am.

    The tyre of the truck rolled on him and he was seriously injured,” the witness said.

    He said the truck driver was unaware of what happened and drove on.

    “It was when people started shouting that the truck driver realised what had happened and parked. Before we knew it, all the intestine of the okada rider was on the ground,” he said.

    Another eyewitness, Mrs Bolaji Bakare, said sympathisers packed the man’s vital organs and pushed them back into his stomach before rushing him to the hospital.

    She said the truck had been taken to Aswani Police Station, Isolo.

  • Okada riders injure task force driver

    Okada riders injure task force driver

    Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Unit (Task Force) surffered a huge loss in the hands of some commercial motorcyclists (okada riders) at the weekend in Apapa.

    The windscreens and headlight of four of its trucks and two Toyota Hilux vans were damaged by the okada riders, while its officials were trying to arrest those who did not participate in Saturday’s environmental sanitation.

    The agency’s driver was wounded on the head.

    Some okada riders were arrested over the incident.

    A statement by the task force’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Taofiq Adebayo, quoted the chairman, Olayinka Egbeyemi, a Superintendent of Police (SP) as saying that the operatives impounded 27 motorcycles and arrested five Okada riders, described as Chadian and Nigerien.

    Egbeyemi urged Apapa residents to cooperate with the agency in sanitising the community.

    Those arrested are Belo Sheu, 17, Ali Don, 20, Aminu Ataru, 22, Musa Yahusa, 15, and Saliu Musa, 30.

    Commissioner of Police Fatai Owoseni has directed that those arrested be charged to court.

    “During the month of October, the agency arrested 1750 miscreants. 300 were screened out, while the remaining 1450 were charged to courts. 1105 motorcycles plying restricted routes across the state were impounded,” the statement said.

  • Two arrested in Ondo for ‘killing’ Okada rider

    Two friends have been arrested for allegedly killing a commercial motorcyclist identified as Thomas Amusan at Ile-Oluji/Ipetu Ijesa Expressway in Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo local government area of Ondo State.

    The suspects – Rilwan Rasheed and Sheu Akande – were accused of killing the deceased and also stealing his motorcycle.

    Police spokesman Femi Joseph, who confirmed the incident, said the suspects committed the crime on August 8.

    Joseph narrated that Rasheed and Akande asked the commercial motorcyclist to take them to one of the villages in the area but later killed the deceased on the way and took away his motorcycle.

    “They asked the deceased to take them to a nearby village. On getting to a junction, they asked the man to stop and as they were trying to snatch the motorcycle from him, he resisted. So, they have to start matcheting him till he died.

    “After they have succeeded in killing him, they dumped his lifeless body in the bush and took the motorcycle away.”

    He added that when the men of the command got the information about the incident, they swung into action and through an intelligent move, the suspects were able to be apprehended.

    The police spokesman assured that the suspects would soon be charge to court.

  • Three Okada men, one woman die as container falls on bus

    Three Okada men, one woman die as container falls on bus

    •Four injured 

    Three commercial motorcyclists and a woman were yesterday crushed and four others injured after a container fell on a bus in Lagos.

    Seven commercial motorcycles (Okadas) were also involved in the accident.

    The incident occurred around 8am  at Alakija bus stop on Badagry expressway, after the 40 feet container, driven by John Idiyo, rammed into an empty commercial bus marked EPE972XH.

    It was gathered that the container was on a truck with number plate KRD526XP.

    The Nation learnt that after colliding with the bus, the container fell on it and trapped five motorcyclists who were at the bus stop.

    Three died on the spot. Emergency workers rescued two others who sustained severe injuries.

    Their motorcycles were damaged.

    Officers from Festac Police Station  rescued from a mob. He is in their custody.

    The accident, an eyewitness said, was caused by failure of the truck’s brake. It also hit some electric poles.

    Soon as the accident occurred, the electricity distribution company in charge of Alakija was contacted to disconnect the area in order to avoid people being electrocuted.

    A policeman who spoke under anonymity said: “The driver lost control. He was trying to avoid the motorcyclists when the container fell and crushed them. An empty bus was also crushed. We will investigate what led to the loss of control.

    “It would have been more disastrous if today wasn’t a public holiday because the place is usually crowded,” she added.

    Mr Iluha, brother of one of the injured victims, Bamahi said his brother sustained severe injuries from the accident.

    He explained that the need to gather money for his 24-year old brother’s treatment prompted him to go back to the scene where they both work.

    “I was still at home when they told me my brother has been hit by a truck. He usually leaves before me by 5am or 6am. I leave by 7am. We work there together. His right leg got broken. The General Hospital in Ikeja said blood entered his stomach and that he has to be operated. They said he would not be attended to unless we bring money. They have not told us the amount. That is why I am here to look for money.”

    He added one of the deceased men was from his home town.

    According to the Chairman of Okada riders at the bus stop, who simply identified himself as BZ, the woman who died was trying to cross the junction when she got hit.

    “The woman came to buy banana, so she hired an Aboki to carry them. They were trying to cross when the truck crushed her,” he said.

    Confirming the incident, the General Manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) Michael Akindele said the injured were rushed to the hospital.

    “The agency’s heavy duty equipment (Goliath) and other heavy duty equipment from CCE Construction Company were used for the recovery process.

    “Trailer owners and drivers are advised to ensure proper checks and road worthiness on their trucks. They should also drive within the approved speed limits.

    “Motorcyclists need to also obey the state’s traffic law to avoid avoidable deaths such as this,” said Akindele.

    He said investigation conducted by the agency’s Emergency Response Team (ERT) at the scene of the incident revealed that a trailer with 40ft container with number plate, KRD 526 XP lost its brake and ran into a commercial mini-bus marked Epe 972 XH, thereafter fell on Okada riders at the bus stop.

    “The agency’s Emergency Response Team at Cappa in conjunction with the Lagos State Fire Service, the Nigeria Police Force, LASEMA officials, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), LASAMBUS and officials of the China Civil Engineering and Construction Company, CCECC were involved in the recovery operation.

    “The commercial mini-van and seven commercial motorcycles (Okada) were badly damaged as a result of the accident. Five persons were involved in the accident. This comprises three dead male adults while two persons sustained severe injuries and had been taken to the hospital for treatment,” he said.

    Akindele added that the Eko Distribution Company was quickly alerted to switch off the power supply in order to prevent any form of electrocution as the tanker also damaged some of the company’s poles.

    He said the agency’s heavy duty equipment and other heavy duty equipment from the CCECC were used for the recovery process.

    Akindele urged Okada riders to adhere to the traffic law in order to avoid loss of lives and properties such as this.

  • Okada rider bags 21 years jail term for robbery

    A commercial motorcyclist in Ekiti State, Matthew Ode, has been sentenced to 21 years in prison by an Ado Ekiti High Court after being found guilty of armed robbery.

    With other gang members still at large, Ode, 32, snatched a bag containing N478, 000 and three Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards from one Tayo Ajibola on November 10 last year.

    Prosecution counsel, Femi Onipede, told the court presided over by Justice Olusegun Ogunyemi that the offence was committed along Iworoko Road in Ado Ekiti. Onipede said that the convict and members of his gang carried out the crime with the use of an offensive weapon, to wit, knife.

    The accused cooperated with his gang by moving his motorcycle close to the motorcycle of the bag snatchers. The victim, added the prosecution, pleaded with the accused to help chase after the robbers but he refused by claiming that his motorcycle was faulty.

    Ode, it emerged, took the victim on a ride of more than three kilometers before he was blocked by a black Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV).

    Delivering the judgment, Justice Ogunyemi said that, having gone through all the evidence before him by the prosecution and the defence, the accused was found guilty as charged. He said: “I have carefully considered the evidences of the witnesses for the prosecution and that of the accused persons. I found the evidence of the prosecution credible and reliable. I hereby sentence the accused to twenty one years imprisonment without any option of fine.”

  • Appeal Court okays Okada restriction in Lagos

    Appeal Court okays Okada restriction in Lagos

    The Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos on Thursday affirmed the judgment of a Lagos High Court upholding the right of the state government to restrict commercial motorcycles popularly known as Okada from plying some routes in the state.

    The appellants (The Incorporated Trustees of All Nigerians Autobike Commercial Owners and Workers Association (ANACOWA) and other persons via an Originating Summons, had approached the High Court of Lagos State contesting that Section 3 of the Lagos State Road Traffic Law 2012 violated their right to freedom of movement and sought an order of the Court to declare the said Section as unconstitutional.

    However the Court of Appeal held that Section 3 of the Law was not ultra vires the powers of the Lagos State House of Assembly to enact laws for the State.

    The Court further ruled that the Law was enacted with the overriding intention to protect the interest of the public, provide environmental sanity and reasonably justifiable for a society like Lagos State.

    In a related development, the Appeal Court in Lagos has upturned the judgment of a Federal High Court in Lagos awarding $5,707, 297.90 (about N2bn) against the Lagos State Government over a disputed property in Victoria Island area of the State.

    Former Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Dan Abutu, had in a judgment delivered on November 2, 2007 awarded the sum as special damages and N10,000,000 as exemplary damages against the state government over alleged illegal entry into the said property located at No.1A Ozumba Mbadiwe, Victoria Island, Lagos by men of the State’s Special Task Force on Environment.

    The plaintiff in the suit, Zanen Verstoep had in 2006 dragged the State Government to Federal High Court claiming the sum of $5,707, 297.90 as general damages and N200,000,000 as well as N300,000,000 as exemplary damages for the said alleged illegal entry.

    Dissatisfied with the judgment of the lower court, the state government filed a notice of appeal, and asked that the judgment be reversed for lacking in merit.

    The Appeal Court, in its judgment delivered on June 23, 2016 by Justice S.C Oseji upheld the arguments of the Honourable Attorney General of Lagos State, Mr Adeniju Kazeem, saying that there was merit in the appeal.

    In arriving at the decision reversing the judgment of the Federal High Court, the Appeal Court held that the contention of the Lagos State Government that the respondent failed to strictly prove the special damages it claimed was justified, adding that this was fatal to the first Respondent’s ( Zanen Verstoep) case.

  • Okada restricted in Rivers local govt

    Okada restricted in Rivers local govt

    The Caretaker Chairman of Khana (Ogoni) Local Government Council of Rivers State, Gbara Erelo, has restricted the operation of commercial motorcycles, popularly called okadas, in the area from 7 p.m. To 6 a.m., in view of the rising insecurity.

    He spoke yesterday in Port Harcourt that the restriction in the operation of okadas would be until there is improvement in security in the  local government.

    The caretaker chairman said the council would not fold its arms and watch those he called agents of darkness to continue to harass innocent residents and visitors in the area, disclosing that security operatives had been detailed to ensure the enforcement of the restriction order.

    He urged the commercial motorcyclists to go about their normal and legitimate businesses, but must ensure that they were not seen on roads in the area at the hours of the restriction order.

    Erelo assured the okada riders and members of the public of his determination to secure their lives and property, while warning that violators of the restriction order would be decisively dealt with, in accordance with the law.

    The caretaker chairman also stated that the restriction order was not intended to witch-hunt anyone, but to restore peace and security in Khana, while calling for the cooperation of all the stakeholders, in his quest to ensure the safety of lives and property of people in the area.

  • Rival okada associations bicker over alleged attacks, killings

    Rival okada associations bicker over alleged attacks, killings

    The All Nigeria Autobike Commercial Owners and Riders Association (ANACOWA) has sent a distress call to the Ogun State Police Command, following alleged attacks on its members. The association claimed that several of its members  have either been injured or killed during attacks by members of a rival association, Amalgamated Commercial Motorcycles Owners and Riders Association of Nigeria (ACOMORAN). The association claimed that some of its members in Sagamu area of the state, including one Daisi Olatunji, 32, Ife Omosola,50,were attacked and killed by members of ACOMORAN. The allegations were, however, dismissed as contrived and unfounded by ACOMORAN and the police. In a petition forwarded to the Commissioner of Police, Ogun State Command, Abdulmajid Ali, the association alleged that chieftains of ACOMORAN connived with the police to harass and intimidate its members. The petition, dated May 6, 2016 and signed by the counsel to the association, Mobolaji Akintunde, reads: “Our attention has been drawn to the constant intimidation, harassment, attacks and threat to the lives of our clients by one Samsindeen Apelogun and members of ACOMORAN in flagrant disobedience and disregard of the judgment and orders of the High Court of Ogun State on June 28, 2012 and a Federal High Court sitting in Abeokuta on May 14, 2013. These people, with some assistance from unsuspecting police officers, have succeeded in subverting the judgment and orders of court. As a result of this judgment and our client’s petition to the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Zone 2, in a letter dated August 9, 2012, the AIG Zone 2 directed that you use your offices to give all necessary protection to members of ANACOWA and ensure that the other association does not prevent members of ANACOWA from operating as ruled by the Ogun State High Court.” The petition stated further that despite the two court orders, ACOMORAN chieftains have continuously impounded motorcycles belonging to ANACOWA’s members and subjected them to further attacks leading to death in some instance. “At present, the motorcycles of our clients’ members of ANACOWA that were seized for refusal of the owners to collect the daily tickets of ACOMORAN and AMORAN are in the custody of the Divisional Police Officer of Sagamu (Division),Ogun State.” The petition added: “On June 18, 2013, Samsindeen Apelogun and members of ACOMORAN attacked our clients and members of ANACOWA, burning their offices and in the process killed one Saidi Adebisi, in flagrant disobedience of the judgment of the court.” Dismissing the allegations as unfounded, the state Secretary of ACOMORAN, Comrade Kayode Showunmi, said ANACOWA was chasing shadow where there is none. He explained that only ACOMORAN and AMORAN were approved and recognised by the state government in order to moderate the activities of Okada riders in the state. “There were about seven different Okada riders associations, including ACOMORAN in Ogun State during the immediate past administration of Otunba Gbenga Daniel. While our association was the only Okada riders association registered with both the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), the then Federal Ministry of Transport and Works and Ogun State government, the other six associations only registered with CAC, Abuja. “In order to moderate the activities of Okada operators as a result of the rising rate of criminal activities associated with some unidentified Okada operators, the state government decided to recognise and permit only ACOMORAN to operate in the state, while other splinter associations were suspended from operating in any part of the state. With the coming of the present administration in 2011, all the outlawed Okada associations rose up again and challenged the state government’s suspension of their operation. They made spurious allegations that ACOMORAN was working for the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) all in a bid to discredit us in vain. “The state government and Ogun House of Assembly later intervened by asking the splinter associations and ACOMORAN to present documents relating to our registration and found out that our association was the only one registered and approved by the  federal, state and local governments, hence, we were asked to continue with our operation, while other splinter associations were asked to merge into one body called AMORAN, with an directive that the leadership of the new body should be rotated among the associations that formed the merger. Part of the intervention was that ACOMORAN and the new body AMORAN shall alternate collection of their dues and sale of tickets on a weekly basis.” Continuing, he said:”We later learnt that ANACOWA pulled out of AMORAN several months after the merger, but the reason for their sudden exit from the body was not known to us since they are not part of ACOMORAN in the first place. “We are not saying that ANACOWA should not operate, but they must get the consent of both the state government and Ogun House of Assembly. Members of ACOMORAN are law abiding citizens and would not engage in any act of violence or cause mayhem in whatever form. As a matter of fact, we have been organising seminars and lectures for our teeming members on non-violent approach to their job in recent times. Therefore, it is not true that our members have been attacking members of the outlawed ANACOWA. On the contrary, their chieftains and members are the ones causing violence and dropping the name of our chieftains and association as masterminds.” He added:”They attacked us but we didn’t fight back because their intention was to cause violence so that the state government can ban our association from operating in the state. I want to advise them (ANACOWA) not to disturb our operation during the week allotted to us by the state government. The state government through the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) generates revenue from our operation and if ANACOWA members disturb us , they will by extension disturb the state government from generating revenue through our activities.” The state chairman of ACOMORAN, Comrade Apelogun denied orchestrating attacks on ANACOWA members, saying:” One Rasheed Azees who has been parading himself as the state chairman of outlawed ANACOWA has never worked as Okada rider. He relocated from Lagos to Sagamu in 2011 and made moves to forcibly emerge as the leader of Okada riders in the community where I was born, live and worked as Okada rider for many years before God elevated me to the apex leadership position of ACOMORAN as state chairman. “Instead of approaching the state government and House of Assembly for proper recognition, the leadership of ANACOWA launched a fruitless smear campaign against ACOMORAN and my humble self.” He added:” I was in Lagos with my wife to submit her visa application at the collection centre of British High Commission on Billings Way, Oregun, Ikeja, on the day they maliciously claimed that I led my members to attack their members during which one Saheed Adebisi was killed. The matter was thoroughly investigated by the police and I was exonerated of any complicity. “When I was informed about the incident on the telephone, I drove straight from Lagos with my wife to Sagamu Police Station to explain to the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) that I was not at the scene of the incident. I was later summoned by the then Commissioner of Police, Ikemefuna Okoye, where Azees even confessed that it was one Oluaye that killed Adebisi. But Oluaye was not even at the scene of the incident  where the said Adebisi was allegedly killed because he was on his sick bed. The police and State Security Service investigated the matter and found out that I was in Lagos at the time of the incident. “It may interest you to know that the boy(Adebisi) did not die of gunshot as was alleged but the boy’s head was smashed against a stationary car when he rode on a motorcycle with a member of ANACOWA called Shuga. The result of an autopsy carried out on his body also confirmed that he did not die of gunshot but fatal injury. I am a respected title holder in Sagamu and Ogun State in particular, hence, I couldn’t be involved in any act of violence or constitute nuisance to the society.” In his reaction, the spokesman of Ogun Police Command, Mr. Muyiwa Adejobi, described the allegations as untrue. He said the police command was only carrying out its responsibilities in line with the directive of the state government which approved and recognised ACOMORAN and AMORAN as Okada operators. “ANACOWA is not a recognised body for Okada riders in Ogun State. The state government approved only ACOMORAN and AMORAN and duly notified security agencies, including the Department of State Security Service (DSS), state police command for effective monitoring to forestall lawlessness or breach of peace. We are therefore not bound by any court judgment to permit their operation in Ogun State.  “Instead of coming up with unnecessary allegations, they should approach the state government and the state House of Assembly for recognition and stop causing trouble because we have more serious assignments to handle than chasing Okada riders who have no permission to operate in this state.”

  • Honour for 10-year accident-free Okada rider

    A commercial motorcyclist in Omole Phase 1 Estate, Ikeja, Lagos, Johnson Ogbu, was honoured on Saturday for riding for 10 years without an accident.

    Ogbu was honoured at the 2016 Omole Phase 1 Residents’ Association (OPRA) Dinner and Awards Night organised to mark the 20th anniversary of the Community Development Association (CDA).

    Commissioner for Local Government and Community Affairs Alhaji Musiliu Folami said there were over 6,000 registered CDAs in the state, describing OPRA as one of the best.

    Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development Mr. Wasiu Anifowoshe promised to facilitate a new transformer to improve power supply to the estate.

    Awards were given in various categories, including Special Recognition Award, Special Award, Corporate Social Responsibility Award, Best Public School Award and Best Private School Award, among others. But the award that ignited the loudest ovation was that of Johnson Ogbu, who, having riden his commercial motorcycle for 10 years without crashing, was adjudged the estate’s Okada Man of the Year.

  • Lagos to enforce Okada restriction, street trading laws

    Lagos to enforce Okada restriction, street trading laws

    The Lagos State Government at the weekend said it would henceforth strictly enforce the law on environmental offences, restriction of operation of commercial motorcycles, popularly called Okada on certain routes and street trading.

    Rising from the monthly Security Council Meeting attended heads of all security agencies in the state and chaired by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, the Government urged residents to willfully comply with the extant laws in the state to make the enforcement of the law easier.

    Briefing Government House Correspondents on the outcome of the meeting, the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, urged the public to desist from patronising traders especially where street trading is not allowed.

    Owoseni also counseled Lagosians to stop patronising commercial motorcyclists, popularly known as Okada operators on routes where the law restricts them from plying.

    Owoseni, who briefed journalists alongside heads of the Army, Navy, Airforce and other security agencies in state, said: “The Council appraised the security situation in the state and looked at the challenges we are still having and from discussions and conclusions that were made, the Council agreed that lot of progress had been made.”

    “We have covered lot of miles regarding security and safety in the state. For now, the State is relatively peaceful.

    “We want to sustain that tempo; we want to improve on that tempo. We have looked at those areas we need to improve upon and basically those were the issues the Council considered,” Owoseni said.

    When asked on the directive by Governor Ambode at the Town Hall Meeting in Ikorodu last week that Okada should not ply Mile 12-Ikorodu route, the Commissioner said: “Yes, we deliberated on that and I can tell you that we specifically considered the need to improve on enforcement of the laws of the state, especially the areas where we have been having challenges with members of the public with regard to enforcement. ”

    “Specifically, I’m talking about the street trading, the restriction of commercial motorcyclists to certain areas. You see, there is need to have the buy-in of members of the public in all these and the Council considered the need for us to still tell the citizens that in as much as we want to enforce, there is also need for members of the public to willfully comply with extant laws of the State.

    “When they comply and conform to the laws, it will be easier for security agencies to enforce. Where the law says there should not be street trading, people should not patronise street traders; where the law says Okada should not ply certain routes, people should not patronise commercial motorcyclists in those areas.

    “But most importantly, as the Security Council has always emphasised , there is need for everyone to be security conscious and raise awareness about security in their surroundings,” Owoseni said.