Lagos Task Force Set To Destroy 4,500 seized motorcycles

The Lagos State Task Force on Sunday, September 22, said that it had impounded 4,500 commercial motorcycles from riders who had defaulted the states traffic law.

It added that the task force was awaiting the directives of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on their destruction.

The Head, Public Affairs Unit of the agency, Mr Taofik Adebayo, said that the enforcement of the laws concerning the safety of lives regarding motorcycle riding in the state had reduced the number of ‘okada’ casualties recorded in hospitals.

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“We have no less than 4,500 impounded bikes awaiting to be crushed but at present, we are awaiting the Lagos State government’s directives with the ones we have now.

“We are not relenting and we will continue to impound motorcycles that default as we come by them,” he said.

The officer said that Lagos State being the economic hub of the country, had been attracting people from across the country.

He said that the insurgence that led to the displacement of many people in northern part of the country.

He said that this forced them to migrate to Lagos and take to the motorcycle transportation which they considered as one of the easiest businesses for them.

Adebayo said that the laws regarding motorcycle riding in the state were not punitive in nature but corrective in order to reduce the high incidence of accidents related to motorcycle riding.

“The government did not totally ban okada but instead restricted their activities to the inner streets of the city with a code of conduct to follow while operating within the specified streets.

“For instance, a rider is not supposed to ride without a helmet, the rider must be above 18 years, the rider must not carry anybody less than 12 years old, the rider cannot carry a woman that has a baby strapped to her back and cannot carry a pregnant woman.

“These are the laws that guide the operations of ‘okada’ riders in the state in order to reduce ‘okada’ related accidents,” he said.