Commercial motorcyclists popularly referred to as okada riders yesterday blocked some major highways in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to protest their expulsion form the Federal Capital City.

From Funmi Peter-Omale in Abuja, 09.26.2006

Commercial motorcyclists popularly referred to as okada riders yesterday blocked some major highways in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to protest their expulsion form the Federal Capital City.

As early as 8 am yesterday, THISDAY noticed heavy presence of policemen on major streets in the Federal Capital City following intelligence reports that some okada riders were going to demonstrate yesterday.

This is coming against the background of the affirmation of the FCT Administration that there was no going back on the policy because €œwe have to restore sanity in the FCT transport system, Senior Special Assistant to the Minister, Hajia Amina Salihu disclosed yesterday.

Confirming the development, the FCT Commissioner of Police, Mr. Lawrence Alobi however said his men were able to repel them and arrested over 30 miscreants.
The okada riders who took over some streets in Wuse II, Mabushi, Maitama and Asokoro allegedly used their motorcycles to block the way and prevented motor vehicles from plying the affected roads.

Alobi said, €œThey used their motorcycles to block the highway and disrupted vehicular and human traffic. But you know we had already gotten intelligence report about their plan and so there were already a lot of Policemen on ground to repel any unlawful assembly.

At the points they gathered and blocked the way, as soon as the Policemen moved in to disperse them, they moved to other places and constituted a nuisance.
€œAs soon as they see my men, they dispersed but a number of them that were stubborn and unyielding were arrested at different points and rounded up.
Alobi said he has directed a thorough investigation into the incident and that the arrested men would be charged to court as soon as possible.

€œWe are going to charge them to court after the investigations are concluded. In the next 24 hours, we will charge them to court.

Last Friday, there was a heavy deployment of armed policemen to strategic locations within the Federal Capital following security reports that some groups of persons were going to hold a protest immediately after Jumaat prayers. According to the Commissioner of Police €œThere was intelligence report that some groups of persons were planning to strike immediately after Jumaat prayers so we moved by deploying men and officers. WE deployed massively because we do not want to leave anything to chance.

He stated that the Command, with representatives of other security agencies, including the Department of State Services (DSS), National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), as well as officials of the Federal Capital Territory Administration and Motorcycles Transport Union of Nigeria (MTUN) had a meeting with the leadership of okada riders associations last Friday to discuss the smooth ease off of okada from the Federal Capital City as had been explicated by the FCT Administration.