Police free arrested 123 Okada riders relocating from Jigawa in a truck
Whereas Lagos Police have profiled the 123 arrested artisans, Okada riders and even some of them who had been in Lagos and few freshers and released them based on findings that they are in Lagos for genuine course, facts have emerged that they were actucally running away from ongoing mass arrest of commcercial motocycle riders in parts of Jigawa State by the government. Ahead of their arrival in Lagos, over 323 had been arrested and their motorcyclces confiscated by the government.
However, social media had been awash with public condemnation of the arrest of alleged illegal mass movement of Okada riders to Lagos from the North and Jigawa State in particular over the weekend by Government of the state.
The verified twitter handle of the state government had weekend revealed the arrest of about 123 youths around Oshodi axis in a truck packed with 48 motorcycles without documents of ownership, saying the operation was “jointly coordinated by the State Commissioner for The Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tunji Bello and his Transportation counterpart, Dr. Abimbola Oladehinde. #ForAGreaterLagos @jidesanwoolu #LASG”
The issue is that the Lagos State Environment Sanitation and Special Offenses Taskforce had apprehended the men on Friday for what it termed, “illegal mass movement of Okada riders.”
Business Hilights gathered that upon arrest and confiscation of the motorcycles, the truck and its occupants were moved to the office of the Taskforce in Oshodi for interrogation after arrest.
Many Nigerians who had been following the development over the weekend were raising issues of freedom of movement and internal relocation or inter-state movement in the state.
One of the contributors argued that “Unless they are not Nigerians, there is nothing illegal if 100 citizens move as a community to another part of the country to find jobs.”
@UncleAnass; It’s very disheartening! I watched a video clip of northerners being detained and humiliated as they arrived Lagos State. Reason simply being, they arrived the state for Okada business.
@JaafarSJaafar; Is Okada illegal in Lagos? Was anything incriminating found on them? Why is Lagos profiling, detaining Northerners? Northern petty traders normally travel in truck to save cost. I don’t want to believe what Ambode said about Sanwo-Olu’s mental state, but this action is sheer MADNESS
@ChidiOdinkalu; There’s something deeply, deeply troubling about this – when did being “Okada riders….from the North” become an offence? Criminalising identity & poverty is fast becoming a norm in #Nigeria. That’s a 1-way street to mutual destruction.
However, since Saturday, Lagos State Government is yet to make a clear statement on what is in its mind for the arrest and detention of Nigerians from Jigawa State coming to lagos for greener pastures.
