Lagos impounds 4,694 okada, convicts 1,490 offenders

No fewer than 1,490 persons comprising miscreants, street traders and traffic offenders, have been convicted for various offences in Lagos State, according to the Police Command.

The convicts were among the 1,709 suspects arrested by policemen between June 1 and September 9, 2022.

It was the period the Lagos State Government reviewed the state traffic law guiding the activities of commercial motorcyclists in the state.

The review followed the lynching of a sound engineer, David Imoh, by suspected commercial motorcyclists in the Lekki area of the state.

The tragic incident made government to ban the operation of commercial motorcyclists in six local government areas of Eti Osa, Ikeja, Surulere, Lagos Island, Lagos Mainland and Apapa.

Government kicked off the enforcement of prescription in June, with security agents patrolling the affected councils in search of errant motorcyclists, who had been protesting against the ban.

The government extended the ban to four more LGAs consisting of Kosofe, Oshodi-Isolo, Shomolu, and Mushin, on August 18, despite the protest.

Police spokesman, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, said the enforcement of the ban between June 1 and September 9, 2022, led to the impoundment of 4,694 motorcycles from recalcitrant commercial motorcyclists.

In June 2022, 1,885 motorcycles were impounded for contravening the ban. A decline was recorded in July with 1,501 motorcycles impounded while August and September saw the impoundment of 1,029 and 279 motorcycles respectively.

Source: The Nation