Tag: Okada
-
Lawyer petitions police over okada rider’s ‘killing’
General Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Emeka Obegolu, has written a petition to the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, over the alleged unlawful killing of a commercial motorcycle operator (okada rider), Joachim Izuagbachukwu, in Anambra State.
Writing on behalf of the Obeledu Progress Union, the lawyer urged Abubakar to investigate those behind the alleged murder.
He said the deceased, on May 30, about 2pm, went to have lunch at the Old Motor Park Spare Parts Road, Nkpor.
As he was alighting from his motorcycle, a security team, the Scorpion Squad, said to be affiliated to the Anambra Vigilante Services, allegedly started shooting sporadically into the air without justification, in an open show of power.
“The sporadic gunshots hit and killed Mr Joachim Izuagbachukwu on the spot, in his prime,” Obegolu alleged.
According to him, policemen from Ogidi Division arrested one of the team’s leaders.
“The people of Obeledu Community are of the belief that only an investigation led by a crack team from the Force Headquaters can unravel the identities of the members of the team, investigate the circumstances of their engagement with firepower and prosecute them for murder of an innocent, law-abiding citizen.
“We trust that your intervention will also serve as a deterrent to the promoters of vigilante services and also serve a notice to them that everybody must operate under the law in a democratic society.
“The era of proliferation of vigilante armed services in Anambra State must be checked and brought under control,” Obegolu wrote.
-
Okada ban: Motorcycle dealers lament losses
Operators leave Edo in droves
Dealers in motorcycles and its spare parts have become the first casualties of the ban on the use of commercial motorcycles popularly known as Okada in three local government areas of Edo State.
They said they have not recorded any sales since the state government announced the ban of okada riders in three commercial nerve centres in the state.
Also banned from highways in the state is the use of tricycles popularly known as Keke NAPEP.
The ban would take effect from tomorrow (Monday June 17).
Governor Adams Oshiomhole said the painful decision was reached after a meeting with heads of security operatives in the state.
Many dealers said they just imported new motorcycles but were taken aback by the ban on Okada.
Those who spoke said “not a single person has come to ask the price of motor-cycle since on Wednesday when the announcement was made.”
It was learnt that some dealers gave motorcycles out on hire purchase while some riders who collected have returned the motorcycles have absconded.
Chairman of the motorcycle and spare parts dealers, Elder Dan Chukwukere, pleaded with the state government to extend the deadline.
Chukwukere said the governor should expect to see many mad men on the street if the ban were not lifted or extended.
According to him: “There is no way you can separate us from the Okada riders. This law is affecting us now more than the riders. If he stops them from these local governments, there is no way we will sell.
“Our business has been down. Nobody is asking us how much. Our sales have dropped. We borrowed money to buy these goods and nobody is buying.
“Over 1,000 dealers are now affected. We have family. We are law-abiding and pay all government revenue. The government cannot wake up and remove our source of livelihood. He should look into the banning and lift it.”
Some motorcycles mechanics said they would monitor the ban before they would know what to do.
Some Okada riders were seen bringing their motorcycles for sales.
They told the Nation they want to dispose them off before the Monday deadline and look for other means of living.
Residents in border villages in the state said they saw several motorcyclists riding to other states.
-
Edo bans Okada, to demolish kidnappers den
Edo State Government has banned the use of commercial motorcycles, popularly called Okada in three Local Government Areas of the state with effect from next Monday.
Some houses used by kidnappers as hideout has also been identifies and would be demolished in the next few days.
The State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole who disclosed this on Tuesday shortly after the state Security Council meeting in Benin City, said the affected local Government Areas are Ikpoba Okha, Oredo and Egor which constitute the Benin Metropolis.
He said it was now increasingly evident that Edo state is gradually becoming a safe haven for all manners of bike riders.
Oshiomhole said, “In fact there are confirmed Okada riders who have been involved in kidnapping and other forms of violent crimes including robbery. We have tried as a government over the years to take steps to counsel Okada riders to observe certain codes, to watch out and ensure that criminals do not infiltrate their ranks and hide under commercial vehicles to perpetrate crime. It is clear to me now that we have not been particularly successful. More and more Okada riders have been found to be involved in various acts of violent crimes.
“Also, because of the influx of bike riders, arising from the decision of some of our neighbouring states where bike riders have been prohibited, Edo State has become a safe haven for all manners of bike riders and because they do not get enough commercial patronage, some bike riders have to resort to crime in other to sustain a living while posing to be bike riders,” he noted.
Oshiomhole declared, “I am convinced that we cannot continue to allow this situation to continue. While I am very concerned about the fact of the level of unemployment in the country, and in Edo state we have our own fair share of unemployment, I am convinced that the long term interest of job creation requires that you attract investors and investment to the state. It is a settled issue that investors will not be in a hurry to go to any state that the level of crime has risen beyond acceptable level.
“Therefore, everything considered, we have resolved as a government, effective from Monday next week, bike riders will not be allowed to operate in any part of Oredo, Ikpoba Okha and Egor Local Government Areas. These three local governments constitute the heart of Benin City. The law enforcement agencies have been informed accordingly and directed to strictly enforce this law,” he noted.
The governor stated that for now the other fifteen local government areas in the state will not be affected by this law, adding that “should situation deteriorate in those areas, we will meet as a government and review the situation and take the necessary next step.
Comrade Oshiomhole said that more than eighty percent of accident victims in the hospital are bike riders, noting that “we cannot continue like this. I therefore reached the painful conclusion that it is time to do something and we cannot postpone it further.”
“I am not in doubt that there are many Okada riders who are not criminals and they have no criminal intentions. I am also convinced that there are many Okada riders who are into legitimate business, unfortunately there isn’t any mechanism for us to distinguish criminals who are also bike operators and decent citizens who are doing their very best to cope with the rigours of life, this is just one sacrifice we all have to make to make our state safer,” he added.
The Governor therefore appealed to the Okada riders to appreciate the government’s efforts and advised them to abide by the law strictly because a violation will be severely dealt with.
The Governor disclosed that the security meeting also resolved that all residents in the state, whether they are landlords or tenants should ensure that those they employ as private security guards or maids in their homes have been properly scrutinized and certified that they have the right to reside in Nigeria.
“That is to say that it is the responsibility of every landlord or tenants to ensure that those they employ or hire as gatemen or security have got proper security scrutiny. The security chiefs have been directed to conduct random checks on security guards in various areas to establish their legal status whether they are Nigerians and if they are not Nigerians whether they have the right to reside in the state, and or have the right to engage in employment,” the governor added.
While reiterating government’s resolve to demolish buildings used by kidnappers, Comrade Oshiomhole said some of such buildings have been identified and action will be taken on then in soon. He however announced that government will appropriately reward anybody who is able to provide useful information to any arm of the security agencies on criminal elements in the society.
-
Students groan over okada ban
Students of the Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka, have bemoaned the ban on commercial motorcycles (okada) in Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State. They said the last two weeks had been challenging as many of them walked under the sun to school.
CAMPUSLIFE investigation revealed that the ban may not be unconnected with the activities of kidnappers in the local government, who use motorcycles to commit crime.
Abraka, the main campus of the university, has been under siege since last year when the activities of kidnappers grew uncontrollably. The development has led to the drafting of policemen to the area.
In 2011 the university witnessed series of kidnapping of both lecturers and non-academic staff.
Mrs Stella Mouboghare, wife of the Commissioner of Basic Education and staff of the university, was seized last year March. Members of the university community responded with protest, which culminated in a solidarity strike by the university staff.
In January, the treasurer of the DELSU chapter of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Mr Martins Denedo, was kidnapped and rescued by security operatives stationed around the university.
The state government, in its effort to check the kidnappers’ activities, decided to ban the activities of Okada in the area last month. The ban was announced a week to the commencement of the first semester examinations.
This, however, did not go down well with students, many of whom lamented lack of alternative to access the campus. According to many students, who spoke to CAMPUSLIFE, tricycle and the campus shuttle provided were not adequate. They complained that the vehicles did not extend their services to corners of the area unlike motorcycles.
“These days, I leave my house at least 30 minutes before my lecture time because I have to walk to the road and then wait for a shuttle that is going to my direction. The situation is pathetic,” a student told CAMPUSLIFE.
Another said: “The problem is not the ban on Okada, it is the lack of access roads in the community. It is a right decision at the wrong time.”
A respondent, who spoke to our correspondent, urged management and state government to address problem of transportation being faced by students in the area.
-
Oyo issues Okada, tricycle operators 21 -day ultimatum
THE Oyo State government at the weekend gave a 21-day ultimatum to operators of commercial motorcycles and tricycles to register or face ban.
It said the move was to check the rising wave of robbery by Okada riders, especially in Ibadan, the state capital, lately.
A statement by the Special Adviser to Governor Abiola Ajimobi on Transport, Mr. Yemi Aderibigbe, explained that armed robbers using motorcycles have been on the rise in the state.
He said it is now compulsory for all commercial transport operators to register with the state’s Transporters Enumeration and Registration Scheme (OYSTER).
The ultimatum commences tomorrow (Monday). It read in parts: “All motorcycle and tricycle operators in the state will be issued reflective jackets and unique identification numbers to make it easier for the populace and law enforcement agents to identify them and differentiate them from the crime perpetrators.
“The Oyo State government also wants to emphasise that no other organisation, agency or transport union in the state has the right to issue reflective jackets to operators except OYSTER, which is the agency of government empowered to perform this role.
“Commencing from Monday May, 27, it will become an illegal act for any motorcycle or tricycle operator to ride in any part of Oyo State without the government issued reflective vest and unique identification number.”
-
Okada rider to hang for robbery
Justice O.A Omamogho of Isiokolo High Court, Ethiope East Local Government of Delta State has sentenced to death by hanging a 25-year-old commercial motorcycle rider, Etenuwoma Oghenero, on a two-count charge of conspiracy and robbery.
The convict, with others now at large, allegedly robbed a transporter, Felix Itirikpe, on January 30, 2010 at Okurekpe village, Kokori.
Justice Omamogho held that the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt ingredients of the offence at which the accused was charged.
The convict was thereafter pronounced guilty of the two-count charge of conspiracy to commit robbery and armed robbery and sentenced to the maximum punishment as stipulated in Section 6 (b) and 1 (2) (a) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special provisions) Act Cap R11 Volume 14 laws of Nigeria 2004, which is death by hanging.
-
Delta bans okada in Ethiope East
The Delta State Government yesterday banned the use of motorcycles in Kokori and other parts of Ethiope East Local Government.
Troops of the 3 Battalion of the Nigerian Army swooped on the area on Monday in a manhunt for one of the most notorious criminals in the Niger Delta.
Kelvin, a notorious hoodlum, believed to be responsible for the death of over a dozen security operatives, including soldiers, police and prison wardens, is reportedly holed in a remote part of the area.
Over 80 per cent of crimes around the area, which is the “headquarters” of kidnappers and robbers in the state, are traced to him.
He was fingered for the daredevil attack on a convoy conveying prisoners, including kidnappers and robbery suspects, to court last month. Those freed included a suspect said to be his close friend.
At the time of this report yesterday, uneasy calm pervaded the community as soldiers continued to patrol the streets and suburbs around the hitherto sleepy town.
It was gathered that the ban on Okada, announced by the Secretary to the State Government, Ovouzorie Macaulay, was part of measures aimed at reducing the criminal’s mobility and bring the search to a quick end.
Addressing reporters after a security council meeting in Warri yesterday evening, the SSG said: “One of the real outcome of today’s meeting is the fact that the security council has decided to place a ban on Okada in Kokori town.
“Any Okada riding in Kokori is banned with immediate effect.
“In other words, from this moment onwards, no Okada of whatever type commercially is allowed in Kokori. Seven days from now in every part of Ethiope East Okada will not be allowed.
“In other words, whether in Kokori, Isiokolo, Okpara, Abraka, Eku, all use of Okada remain banned.
“But the other villages and towns have seven days grace from today. By next Wednesday, Okada remains banned in the whole of Ethiope East. But with effect from this moment, Okada is banned in Kokori Town.”
-
Okada ban: Car sales, accidents soar in Delta
The number of cars sold in Warri, Effurun, Asaba and other towns in Delta State has surged in the wake of the ban on the use of motorcycles (okada) for public transport, an investigation has shown.
The government outlawed the use of okada in Effurun, Warri and Asaba, the state capital, on November 1, last year.
The Nation found that the ban led to a boom in the sale of Belgium (second hand) cars in not only the cities, but across other towns, such as Sapele, Ughelli and Agbor, among others.
Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan has warned that more cities would join the list later this year.
Mr. Ezekiel, a car dealer on Jakpa Road, Effurun, said: “Yes, it is true our business has witnessed a surge since the ban on okada.
“I believe it is because of the ban because the kinds of cars being purchased are those small and affordable cars that people can use to get from one point to the other.”
Another dealer, Pullye Ighodaro, said former okada riders have also shifted to the purchase of smaller cars for use as taxi.
“Those who prepared for the ban had enough money to buy cars and have now converted to taxi drivers.”
It was gathered that the presence of more vehicles on the roads has led to traffic jams in the cities, particularly the twin cities of Warri and Effurun.
On the downside, with the increased number of cars and inexperienced drivers have come increased accidents in the cities, particularly during the Yuletide.
Unofficial figures showed that 15 accidents occured between the last hours of 2012 and first three days of the New Year in Warri and Effurun.
-
Re: Okada and Fashola-phenomenon
SIR: The above entitled article by Mobolaji Sanusi published in The Nation of November 16, 2012 captures my mind on this subject matter. How on earth will Lagos be turned into the dumping ground of inexperienced, stubborn, criminal-minded set of people from all over the place under the guise of okada riding as a business? Fashola has done well with this restriction. Is it sensible for okadas to be contesting the right of way with cars, lorries/trucks on the third mainland bridge for example? This was the scenario before the law, and it will be wrong for the government of Eko to fold its arms watching the ugly trend.
Without mentioning names, total ban/restriction had taken places in some other states without the “political noise” being heaped on Fashola. Why is the Lagos case different? To draw the attention of the state government to the fact that some unrepentant Okada riders are still waiting at Ikeja-along in the evenings in total disregard of the law to ply their nefarious trade shows that they must be tackled without further delay. Okadas/Tricycles operators must go to the street corners and other unrestricted routes to ply their trade and show respect for the laws of the land. To PDP and other anti-progress elements in Lagos, the downfall and campaign of calumny against Fashola on this move will never succeed. Order is the first law in heaven, and it must be, here on earth.
The only constant thing in life is CHANGE. The change has come and it must be embraced. The mission to reclaim Lagos and bring back its old glory is a task that must be imbibed by all. On Okada restriction, I stand!
• Tunde Awe,
Maersk Line, Lagos.