Commercial motorcycle operators (okada
riders) in Lagos State have been given till Tuesday to begin to wear approved
reflective jackets while on the road or risk arrest.
The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Edgal
Imohimi, stated this while addressing the riders on Friday, warning that the
police could not guarantee the safety of any member of the public patronising commercial
operators without the approved uniform.
He said the action was taken to enable the police
to distinguish genuine commercial motorcycle operators from criminal elements
using the business as a cover to commit crimes.
He said yellow and pink reflective jackets had
been approved for members of Motorcycle Operators Association of Lagos State
affiliated to the National Union of Road Transport Workers and the National
Motorcycle Owners and Riders’ Association of Lagos State, respectively.
Imohimi advised all operators to get registered
for proper identification, warning that any unregistered operator found on the
road from Tuesday would be arrested for illegal operation.
He said, “If you want to be a commercial
motorcycle operator in Lagos State, you must belong to either NAMORAL or MOALS.
All commercial motorcycle operators are, as from Tuesday, expected to have been
registered. Motorcycle operators must wear reflective vests designed by the
unions with their names and numbers.
“The vests are numbered. There are emergency
numbers to call in case a passenger has a problem with any commercial
motorcycle operator.’’
He asked leaders of the two motorcycle transport
unions to have a database for commercial motorcycle operators in the state.
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