Lagos task force to crush ‘over 2,500’ impounded motorcycles

The Lagos State Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences Unit (Task Force) on Sunday said it would crush over 2,500 commercial motorcycles impounded by the agency between January and March 2019.

Adebayo Taofiq, the agency’s spokesperson, said in a statement that the motorcycles were seized for plying on restricted routes in the state.

The Lagos State government enacted a traffic law in 2012 which, among other things, outlawed the operation of commercial motorcyclists on major roads and highways across the state. The law allows the motorcyclists to only operate along inner roads and streets.

Recently, the Lagos task force officials impounded 109 commercial motorcycles for operating on restricted routes at the Second Rainbow end of the Oshodi-Apapa express-way.
The enforcement operation was carried out after several warnings to motorcycle riders to desist from operating on restricted routes, particularly highways and bridges across the State, the agency said in the statement.

Olayinka Egbeyemi, the chairman of the agency, said there had been series of complaints from the public on illegal and criminal activities by the motorcycle operators.

“While some of them harass innocent members of the public at various bus-stops, others engage in all sorts of criminal acts by dispossessing their passengers of valuables such as phones, jewelleries, and bags,” Mr Egbeyemi, a chief superintendent of police, said.

“Also, motorists held in traffic both morning and night around these areas were not spared.”

Mr Egbeyemi said the agency would continue to carry out enforcement on a daily basis in order to clamp down on illegal activities on the restricted routes.

He urged various motorcycle riders associations across the state to educate their members on all 475 restricted routes in the state and the inherent dangers in plying high-ways and bridges.

“Dispatch riders with power bikes 200cc and above are also warned to desist from engaging in illegal commercial activities as anyone caught violating Lagos State Traffic Laws would be prosecuted,” Mr Egbeyemi said.