Okada Ban: FCT Police Tag Protest ‘Uncultured Display Of Dissatisfaction’

Some angry commercial motorcycle operators on Monday staged a protest in the Federal Capital Territory over the impounding of their motorcycles.

The FCT task force had confiscated some motorcycles in Goza, along the Airport Road in Abuja, as part of the Federal Government’s clamp down on the motorbikes to curb insecurity in the country.

THE WHISTLER gathered that the motorcycle operators blocked a road at Goza in protest, thereby causing traffic jam on the road.

Security operatives comprising the police, Nigerian Security, and Civil Defence Corps were consequently deployed to the area.

Speaking to THE WHISTLER, spokesperson for the Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO), Kalu Emetu, confirmed the incident.

“It is not a clash, they organised a protest when the taskforce team picked some of the motorcycles that were operating along the expressway.

“They are prohibited from using the highway, so the taskforce goes around to pick some of those recalcitrant riders from time to time.

“It was when they left that the riders started protesting, but armed security operatives were there in time, nothing serious happened.”

The federal government had said the ban on commercial motorcycles, popularly known as okada, as well as mining activities, were to stem the rising insecurity across the country.

The Attorney-general of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, had recently said that several measures were being deliberated by the Federal Government to address the country’s security challenges.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the FCT Police Command, DSP Josephine Adeh, said the incident attracted many false narratives.

She described the protest as “merely an uncultured display of dissatisfaction by commercial Motorcycle riders popularly called Okada who took to the streets burning tires and other substances
following the activities of the Task Force who had earlier confiscated some motorcycles for certain violations.”

She said, “Upon the receipt of the information, Police Operatives from Iddo Divisional Police Headquarters were swiftly drafted to the scene where necessary measures were taken to restore peace and normalcy to the situation.

“Consequent upon the above, Members of the public are urged to eschew the generation and promulgation of fake news or contrary narratives and to go about the discharge of their lawful businesses without the fear of harassment or molestation of any kind or from any quarters. Meanwhile, Monitoring and surveillance continue on the scene while an effort is ongoing to arrest miscreants responsible for the disturbance of public peace.

“The Commissioner of Police, CP Babaji Sunday psc while reassuring the residents of the command’s unflinching commitment to bringing crime and criminality to the barest minimum, noted that the burning of combustible material on Tarred road amounts to the vandalization of Government properties and the full wrath of the law will be meted out on erring person(s).

“Meanwhile, Residents are enjoined to continue to partner with the police as touching the prompt, concise and accurate rendition of information through the following emergency lines: 08032003913, 08061581938, 07057337653, and 08028940883, while the Public Complaint Bureau (PCB) desk, could be reached on: 0902 222 2352.”