The Lekki Phase I Residents Association (LERA) restricted commercial motorcycle operators from the area just 24 hours after the Lagos State Government announced a total ban on commercial motorcycle riders known as Okada riders.
After the death of a Sound Engineer who was beaten to a pulp and set on fire by suspected Okada riders, there have been a number of reactions.
Mr. Yomi Idowu, Chairman of LERA, briefed reporters and tasked Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu with enforcing the total ban on Okada.
The Chairman also expressed concern about hoodlums in some unfinished buildings, urging the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development and the New Towns Development Authority (NTDA) to remove them.
“Dastardly, animalistic, and senseless,” Idowu said of the killing of David Imoh, a sound engineer in Lekki.
Read Also: Wike condemns Atiku, other candidates for betraying the PDP
“According to intelligence reports reaching us, following the raid on Okada riders and subsequent seizure of their bikes by officials of the Lagos State Taskforce in Lekki Phase 1, the riders, believing the action was instigated by Lekki residents, are planning to attack the residents,” he said.
Residents have continued to be harassed and subjected to acts of terrorism by Okada riders, he said.
“This isn’t the first time residents in Lekki Phase I have been terrorized by motorcycle riders; indeed, Okada has been a nuisance to the environment, and many residents have had their fair share of their sheer recklessness. The security situation in Lekki Phase I has obviously deteriorated. It is critical that we all take a united stance and develop joint initiatives to avoid total exposure to imminent security threats to our residents’ lives and property.
“We in Lekki Phase I cannot risk the lives of our people any longer… As a result, we are taking proactive measures by prohibiting Okada riders’ activities with immediate effect.” “On our roads and streets, we choose to live and say no to ‘Okada,'” he said.
Chief Emeka Nweze, a member of the Board of Trustees, said that the Okada riders’ customers are mostly domestic workers and construction workers.
Nweze urged the state government to ensure that those who own undeveloped properties get to work on them or face having them taken away.
