The Lagos State Environment and Special Offences Enforcement Unit, popularly known as the Task Force, has taken decisive action against the illegal operations of commercial motorcycles, popularly called Okada, impounding a total of 344 motorcycles in various parts of the state within seven days.
The Public Relations Officer of the unit, Mr. Gbadeyan Abdulraheem, highlighted the outcomes of the enforcement activities, stating, “During the week-long raid, a total of 344 commercial motorcycles were impounded across different locations in the state.” He specifically mentioned Abule-Ado, Lagos Island, Berger/Grammar School, and Abule-Egba as areas where significant seizures were made.
Abdulraheem emphasised that the crackdown was not only focused on motorcycle riders but extended to men in uniform, including soldiers and policemen, who disobeyed traffic laws. He urged them to comply with the state’s regulations or face prosecution.
The unit’s chairman, CSP Shola Jejeloye, expressed the determination to put an end to Okada operations along selected routes and local governments in Lagos. He stressed the importance of setting the right examples and warned that any man in uniform caught using a bike for commercial purposes would face severe consequences.
“We have taken it upon ourselves to end okada operations in the State, and we are putting all mechanisms in place to ensure we achieve this goal,” Jejeloye affirmed. “There will be no sacred cows in the enforcement of okada operations in the State; therefore, any man in uniform caught conveying passengers on a bike for commercial purposes will be thoroughly dealt with.”
