The Lagos State Government says commercial motorcycles seized during the enforcement of the ban on okada will be crushed.
This is according to a statement issued on Wednesday by the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy Gbenga Omotosho as the ban on okada in six local government councils of the state took effect.
“Law enforcement agencies seized many motorcycles today,” the commissioner said. “They will all be crushed on Friday in the presence of the media.”
According to him, as part of moves to cushion the impact of the ban, the Lagos State Government is ramping up plans for alternatives.
“Many small buses, under the First Mile and Last Mile Scheme, were rolled out extensively in Surulere, Gbagada, Lekki, Lagos Island, and other parts of Lagos,” he said.
“A number of taxi cabs under the LAGRIDE scheme were deployed in Lagos Island, Ikeja, Surulere, Lekki, and other places.
“The waterways were also busy as Lagos Ferry Services (LAGFERRY) put more ferries on their routes.”
This comment is the latest from the government since it imposed a ban on commercial motorcycles last month. There was a high level of compliance with the ban across the affected areas as the government began enforcement on Wednesday.
While the move generate debates across the state, the Arewa Community in Lagos threw its weight behind it. In the wake of the development, the group said its members will comply with the ban, calling on security agencies to tighten border checks.
“We resolved today unanimously that all our members must comply with the provisions of the laws of Lagos State. We are law-abiding and we will always continue to intimate on all our members to continue to be law-abiding and operate only within the ambits of the law,” the group’s Secretary-General, Alhaji Musa Saleh, said on May 22.
“We support all measures taken by the Lagos State Government in its efforts towards protecting the life and properties of all Lagosians.”