Save Our Souls!

•‘Okada’ riders weep as task force crushes bikes, sanitises FCT

From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja

A new sheriff is in town. Commercial motorcyclists operating in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, are the testifiers.

Since the coming of Mr Nyesom Wike as Minister, FCT, task force operatives from the FCT Administration (FCTA), have descended on commercial motorcyclists, popularly called okada riders, with unrivaled gusto, to weed out illegal operators, tackle crimes and sanitise the territory.

While raids on okada riders are not new in Abuja, the operation has intensified in recent weeks, leading to the impoundment of thousands of motorcycles.

Penultimate Thursday, the joint task force, comprising FCTA officials and armed security operatives, destroyed more than 470 motorcycles for operating illegally.  The team moves about in a convoy with a truck in tow, where the seized bikes are hurled into. Dawn raids were carried out in Kubwa, Lugbe, Gosa, Bill Clinton Drive, Trademore Estate, Lugbe Junction and other suburban areas. 

In August, the task force impounded and crushed over 400 motorcycle. This did not seem to have served as sufficient deterrent as the okada riders soon acquired new bikes and continued their operations.

Adamu Sambo, a commercial motorcyclist in Phase 3 Area, Kubwa, sat in his friend’s kiosk with a pale and forlorn face, when Daily Sun ran into him. He narrated his ordeal:

“My okada was seized last month (September) by the task force. I bought it for N500,000 not too long ago. I just left my house heading to the filling station to get some petrol and start the day’s work when I ran into them. They hid in a corner, more like an ambush and it was in the morning.

“If it was in the afternoon, we usually call ourselves when we spot them and everyone hides. But that was in the morning so many of us ran into them unexpectedly and our bikes were seized.

“We have families. I have four children. My means of survival has been taken away from me. Why can’t the government provide us with other jobs to survive on?

“I pay council levies everyday. If my operation is illegal, why do I have to pay the council’s tax collectors?” Labelling us illegal operators and criminals is just to justify the seizure. This is totally unfair.”

Another okada rider, Silas Moses, a graduate of Marketing, Benue State Polytechnic wailed: “I graduated over five years ago but I have no job. I started this okada business two years ago and the plan is to save up and go into farming. But last month, my bike was impounded. I begged and begged but my plea fell on deaf ears.

“I’m not operating illegally. I don’t get to the expressway. I live in Kubwa, around Arab Road. The government knows how to fish out the bad eggs among us. I need to survive. I need my bike back or another means of survival.”

Momoh Saleh, a commercial motorcyclist, lamented that he fled the terror in Adamawa State, only to face another form of terror from FCTA:

“What does the government want the poor to do? You can’t hustle again? How many people can afford cars? We’re not only making ends meet with this okada work, we’re also helping the economy.

“A lot of people in the suburbs use okada. That is the only way to commute because there are no roads for cars. I pay council levies also. If you seize my bike, give me a job. I must survive.”

For Mustapha Akande, the war against okada riders is real but said it would not abate soon: “Task force will soon be tired because some of them own these motorcycles. The riders need to survive too.”

However, Secretary, Transportation, FCTA, Mr Obokutom Nyah, insisted that crushing impounded motorcycles was consistent with the law.  He warned okada riders to only operate in areas designated for them and avoid the city centre, as they pose both  safety and security risk there: “Different areas have specific rules for various types of vehicles. Commercial motorcycles should only operate in the suburbs.”

Mr Abdulateef Bello, Director, FCT Directorate of Road Traffic Services, expressed concerns about the excessive number of motorcycles in the city. He said the task force would carry out more night-time raids to restore sanity in the FCT.

He disclosed that 200 and 400 motorcycles are being impounded weekly. He that plans were afoot to arrest residents who patronise okada riders to strengthen enforcement. 

He advised residents to avoid using motorcycles whenever possible and instead opt for short walks for their safety.  He discouraged people from investing in the commercial motorcycle business: “FCTA will relentlessly control their number.”