Some masked men and officials of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit, aka Task Force, on Tuesday, raided commercial motorcyclists at Berger Bus Stop, Lagos State.
We noted that the masked men pushed down the Okada riders from their bikes at the area where they clustered to pick passengers.
Our correspondents, who witnessed the exercise, observed that the operatives came in two vans and whisked away the alleged offenders in three Toyota Hiace buses.
The seized motorcycles were packed in four different trucks.
The number of arrested Okada riders had yet to be ascertained as of the time of filing this report, but the impounded bikes were well over 100.
It was also observed that the heavily armed officials prevented pedestrians, tricycle riders and other vehicle owners from passing the scene of the raid.
This created panic among pedestrians and business owners, who shut entrances to their shops against the riders.
A tricycle rider, Tajudeen, said the operatives arrested both the riders and passengers.
He said, “The task force operatives had raided Okada men in different places, including Grammar School, Ore-Meta, Akinyele, Ogba, but left Berger until now. It is Berger’s turn today (Tuesday) and it’s obvious that they have informants among us.
“This place is a boundary between Lagos and Ogun states. They cannot come here because it is Ogun State, but the raid was carried out in Lagos State. The Okada riders and their passengers were arrested.
“The men wearing masks so people will not identify them apparently work with task force. The tear gas shot in the air by the task force officers forced me to leave my tricycle and run for safety; thank God it was not stolen.”
The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, said the raid would be daily in line with the ban placed on Okada riders in the area by the state Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
He said, “Updates of the operation are usually sent monthly and I can’t give any information right now.”
