OKADA RIDERS PROTEST KILLING OF COLLEAGUE BY POLICEMAN IN LAGOS

Commercial motorcycle riders aka okada on Tuesday protested the alleged killing of one of the colleagues by a policeman in Ilupeju area of Lagos.

The protest led to confusion in the area as policemen fired bullets and teargas to disperse the protesters.

A witness wrote on Facebook that the policeman shot the okada rider dead after failing to stop the biker on Coker Road in Ilupeju.

The cyclist had successfully evaded the policeman’s attempt to arrest him when he was surprisingly shot dead around 10.52a.m.

Witnesses said the killer policeman came from the nearby Ilupeju Police Station while some others said they were members of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences Task Force.

The killer policeman and his colleagues immediately fled the scene while the shot rider was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Witnesses said riot policemen mobilised to Ilupeju area and started firing bullets and teargas canisters indiscriminately, leading to a stampede and motorists and pedestrians fled to safety.

Policemen and traffic agents have been accused of using brutal methods to enforce the Lagos State Traffic Law, which also bars okada riders from about 475 roads in the metropolis.

There are reports that some policemen have actually killed some okada riders in the guise of enforcing the law.

Last week, some policemen stripped an okada rider near University of Lagos.

Thousands of motorcycles belonging to okada riders have been seized and auctioned or destroyed.

However, the traffic law has come under widespread criticism for the strong arm tactics employed by policemen and traffic agents.

Recently, okada riders went on the rampage and destroyed some Bus rapid Transit buses belonging to the state government.

The police responded some days later with a brutal crackdown on okada riders.

The state government and okada riders are currently in court over the legality of the law.