Lekki bans Okada, warns against hiring foreigners as guards

By Christopher Oji

Lekki Residents Association (LERA) has warned against hiring non indigenes as private guards. The association also ban commercial motorcycles rider (okada), in the vicinity.

The association gave the warning and ban during a protest and sensitisation campaign on Admiralty Way, Lekki .

The decisions are coming few weeks after the gruesome murder of a Sound Engineer and father of two, David Sunday Imoh, on Sunday May 15 in Lekki Phase 1.

The residents who took to the streets with placards to sensitise residents while also objecting to miscreants, squatters, loiters, and reckless people riding bikes in Lekki Phase 1.

The residents, who said they didn’t want to lose their children, emphasised the importance of safety.
Chairman of LERA, Mr. Yomi Idowu, charged residents to comply strictly with the directives.

He said: “We don’t want to see motorcycle riders in our vicinity. And we urge you to stop hiring foreigners and non indigenes as security men in your estates and residents.

“These security men manning various estates shelter bike riders at night. They invade our inner streets and cause havoc. This is the second time the Lagos State Government is banning them. It was banned two years ago. We hope the ban will be implemented this time.

” We are pleading with Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to see to the adherence of this law. That is why we are urging the governor to place an immediate ban, not wait until June 2.The safety of lives and property in Lekki is our priority”.

On his own, President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) and concerned resident, Mr. Michael Olawole Cole, said the ban on bikes was long overdue.

“When you think about the crimes and evil these bike men have perpetrated in the state, you will realise that the ban is long overdue. Okada has been banned in some states, hence, the riders trooped into Lagos. I am appealing to the Chairman of this association to see to the execution of the ban. We don’t want anything to affect the state’s economy,” he cautioned”.

Commending the governor, the LCCI president implored him to provide alternatives to bikes in the affected areas. “If you provide more buses on the roads, there will be less need for motorcycles,” says Cole.

To ensure this ban is strictly adhered to, the association is in collaboration with Maroko Police Station, State Task Force and other law enforcement agencies.