Lagos to join passengers in prosecuting commercial motorcyclists for traffic laws
Having secured needed winnings in the 2019 elections, strong indications have emerged showing that majority of apparently relaxed regulations in Lagos State are about to find their ways back to the society.
First shot to this analogy is coming from the ongoing statewide enforcement of state road traffic laws which peaked up in Ikeja earlier this week as the Lagos State Task Force on Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences, on Tuesday, impounded 115 motorcycles, including 22 branded commercial motorcycles called ‘Gokada’ and ‘Maxokada’, for violating the state road traffic laws.
In an interview, the Chairman of the task force, Olayinka Egbeyemi, claimed that the motorcyclists were operating on restricted routes and driving against traffic around Ikeja, Ojota and Maryland.
While avoiding the question of why the clamp down is coming days after the elections, he reminded lagosians that “In accordance with the law, no commercial motorcycle operator was allowed to operate on 475 restricted routes, including highways and bridges across the state”.
“The government enjoined members of the public to henceforth desist from patronising commercial motorcyclists on all restricted routes as the passengers are also liable to prosecution.
“It was an eyesore seeing the operators of these newly-branded commercial motorcycles, ‘Gokada’ and ‘Maxokada’, in competition for the right of way with motorists on highways and bridges across the state”
Egbeyemi revealed further that the state Commissioner of Police, Zubairu Mu’azu, had ordered the prosecution of the 10 riders arrested and that the enforcement team of his agency will take the raid to other parts of the state as soon as possible.
