No u-turn on okada ban – Lagos govt

The Lagos State Government has again warned commercial motorcyclists, popularly called Okada, to stop plying prohibited roads within the state.

Chairman, Lagos State Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences Unit (Task Force), CSP Shola Jejeloye, told NAN that the ban on such routes is still in force.

Jejeloye said that the withdrawal of security agents from such routes due to the ongoing general elections does not allow commercial motorcyclists to return to such routes.

The return of commercial motorcyclists, he said, has compounded the free flow of traffic on such routes.

In May 2022, Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu announced a ban on the activities of commercial motorcycles in six local government areas beginning from June 1.

The local governments are Ikeja, Surulere, Etiosa, Lagos Island, Mainland and Apapa.

The governor later included four additional local government areas, which are Kosofe, Oshodi-Isolo, Shomolu and Mushin, bringing the total to 10 council areas.

He said that the decision was due to disobedience to traffic regulations and increase in motorcycle-related robberies.

Sanwo-Olu said the government took the decision in line with the Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law of 2018.

“The order banning them is still in force. Our men are not on ground, they are on election duties. For now, we have a lot in our hands but it behooves the offenders to obey the laid down rules,” Jejeloye said, noting that there had been reports of reckless plying of the routes by commercial motorcyclists while some drove against traffic thereby causing an accident.