Lagos Task Force Impounds 4,500 Motorcycles

The Lagos State Task Force on Sunday said it has impounded 4,500 motorcycles from riders who flouted the state’s traffic law.
It added that the task force was awaiting the directives of Governor Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State on whether to destroy them or not.

Head, Public Affairs Unit of the agency, Mr. Taofik Adebayo, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos.
Adebayo said the enforcement of the laws concerning the safety of lives regarding motorcycle riding in the state had drastically reduced the number of casualties recorded in hospitals.
According to him, Sanwo-Olu, during his first 100 days in office, said he would soon give directives on what to do with the impounded bikes.

“We have no less than 4,500 impounded bikes waiting to be crushed; but at present, we are awaiting the Lagos State Government’s directive.
“We will continue to impound motorcycles that default as we come by them,” he said.
Continuing, he said, “There are so many illegal motorcyclists that had slipped our inspection and scrutiny into the metropolitan city through routes that are used to smuggle goods.

“This tells you that bikes still come into the state in their hundreds in spite of arrests being made by law enforcement agencies.
“The influx of these displaced people is what is bringing an increase in the ‘Okada’ business in Lagos,” he said.
He noted that the state government did not totally ban Okada, but instead, restricted their activities to the inner streets of the city with a code of conduct to follow while operating within the specified streets.

“For instance, a rider is not supposed to ride without a helmet, the rider must be above 18 years, the rider must not carry anybody less than 12 years old, the rider cannot carry a woman that has a baby strapped to her back and cannot carry a pregnant woman.
“These are the laws that guide the operations of Okada riders in the state in order to reduce related accidents, ” he said.