Insecurity Looms in Southwest State as Okada Riders Take Over Airport

• The activities of Okada riders in Lagos state has left many concerned particularly passengers at the local and international airport
• The commercial motorcyclists have violated the restriction at the Lagos airport in spite of the billboards erected at various points
• Various stakeholders believe the Okada menace currently threatens the peace, security, safety of passengers as well as facilities in the Lagos airport

Lagos - Commercial motorcyclists popularly called Okada riders are threatening the safety and security of air passengers at the Lagos airports, Leadership reports.

The movement of the riders had earlier been restricted by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) with billboards erected at various points of the airports warning against the operation of riders.

However, the restriction has been violated with reckless abandon by the riders due to weak or lack of enforcement from FAAN and other relevant authorities.

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Aviation stakeholders who believe the Okada menace currently threatens the peace, security, safety of passengers as well as facilities in the Lagos airport have raised concerns, urging concerned authorities to address the issue.

Police officers look the other way

In another report by ThisDay, commercial cyclists move around unchallenged in the presence of policemen.

Okada operators reportedly pay a huge amount of money to these officers for them to look the other way while they ply the area.

It was gathered that FAAN lacks the political will to enforce the ban, saying most riders are either their staff or belong to other security forces in the country.

Capt. John Ojikutu (rtd), the secretary general, Aviation Round Table Initiative (ARTi), speaking to the news publication said the riders are a threat to security at the Lagos airport.

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Ojikutu also claimed that commercial cyclists could be responsible for a series of security breaches recorded at the Lagos airport.

Man of his word: APC governor crushes seized motorcycles

Legit.ng previously reported that following the violation of traffic laws, a lot of impounded motorcycles in various locations in Lagos were crushed by the state government at the Alausa Secretariat, Ikeja.

The commissioner for police in the state, Hakeem Odumosu, was present at the site where not less than 482 motorbikes were crushed.

Odumosu noted that the exercise was made public to correct insinuations by some persons who alleged that the vehicles were being sold and recycled.

Tension as policemen, Okada riders clash in Lagos

Meanwhile, the alleged shooting of a motorcyclist, better known as Okada rider, by a police officer led to unrest in Ogba, Lagos state on Friday morning, May 7, 2021.

The unrest started on Thursday, May 6, 2021, when a police officer allegedly refused to pay for the service rendered to him by the Okada rider.

The source whose name was not revealed claimed that two people were killed on Thursday night.

Source: Legit.ng