To enforce the ban on activities of commercial motorcycles in Lagos State, the government has said it will crush about 250 power and despatch motorcycles recently seized by the task force.
Chairman of the State Environmental Task Force and Special Offences, Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), Shola Jejeloye, said the power bikes and despatch motorcycles, whose capacity are above the required standard were confiscated for either driving against traffic (one-way), conveying of passengers on despatch bikes and riding on the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor of the state.
According to him, though the ban focuses on commercial motorcycles popularly known as Okada, the State Transport Sector reform laws prohibit any motorcycle of any capacity from riding one-way.
“Riding a power bike doesn’t make you immune to traffic laws of the state, especially when it has to do with riding against traffic on one-way, which is highly dangerous to road users and even pedestrians. Any motorbikes violating the state traffic laws will be met with the same level of punishment as Okada of lower capacity,” Jejeloye stated.
Jejeloye further disclosed that despatch riders, who have seized the opportunity of the absence of Okada on highways to transport commuters on their despatch motorcycles would also have them impounded.
“We have mad series of arrests of despatch motorcycles, whose riders either carry passengers even with the delivery box still mounted on the bike or sometimes disassemble the box and convey the passengers with the bikes.
“Unfortunately, some of the owners of these bikes do not know that their bikes have been confiscated because the riders usually abandon the bikes once apprehended by our officers,” he added.
Jejeloye urged despatch/delivery operators to warn and lecture their riders thoroughly to desist from lifting passengers with their motorcycles or risk forfeiting them to the state government.
He also appealed to power bike riders to obey traffic laws as no bike will be spared once caught violating the law.
