BY Jesupemi Are
Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos, on Tuesday ordered the arrests of men riding motorbikes against traffic.
The governor was on his way to the Ojo campus of the Lagos State University (LASU), for the inauguration of the Femi Gbajabiamila Conference Centre, when the incident occurred.
While plying the Lagos-Badagry expressway in a convoy, Sanwo-Olu encountered the motorcyclists and immediately ordered their arrests.
The video showed many of the riders and passengers abandoning their motorcycles and fleeing as the governor’s security operatives gave chase.
A few escaped while a handful were apprehended.
While being arrested and taken away by security operatives, one of the offenders claimed to be a soldier.
“Put him there, let your father come and rescue you,” the governor said.
“I am a soldier Oga sir,” said the motorcyclist.
“That’s the more reason I’m going to lock you up. You are telling me you are a soldier. That’s even the more reason I’m going to lock you up,” the governor replied.
“Get in there. Useless boy. You are telling me you are a soldier. Lock him up!!”
See the video of the exchange below:
The governor also reprimanded some of the passengers for risking their lives.
In 2022, a similar video showing the governor ordering the arrest of a commercial motorcyclist riding against traffic, along Ozumba Mbadiwe, Victoria Island, surfaced online.
In 2012, the Lagos state government banned commercial motorcycles, popularly called ‘Okadas’, from plying major routes, and commenced a strict enforcement of the ban in 2018 and 2022.
However, some Okada riders continue to flout the ban.
Police officers and personnel of the Lagos task force periodically raid ‘Okada hotspots’ and seize some of the motorbikes which are then crushed.
But even this has not served as a strong enough deterrence in chaotic and densely populated Lagos.
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