The Ogun State Police Command has condemned the actions of policemen from the Isheri Police Division in Lagos State, who have been accused of enforcing the Okada ban within Ogun territory. Abimbola Oyeyemi, the Police Public Relations Officer for Ogun State, labeled these actions as illegal and warned that any officers caught would face legal consequences. He stated, “If any officer is caught arresting motorcyclists under Ogun State, he will face the music because that will amount to illegal duty. You cannot come from a different state to arrest in another state without prior notice to the police command in that state. I believe if the Ogun State DPO, who is close to that place, gets any of them, I know he is going to do the needful.”
The Lagos State Government has implemented a ban on the movement of Okadas in certain areas of the state. However, reports indicate that some policemen have ventured outside their jurisdiction to seize motorcycles while claiming to enforce this ban. For instance, Metro reported that officers from the Isheri division arrested a motorcycle operator, Adekunle Kristisanwo, and confiscated his motorcycle at New Garage in the Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State on December 5, 2022. Kristisanwo, a pastor, recounted that he was detained at the station and forced to spend the night in a cell until he paid a bail of N20,000. He identified the officers involved in his illegal arrest and extortion as Inspector Patrick Stephen and Inspector Mercy.
During a conversation with our correspondent, Kristisanwo alleged that the Isheri Divisional Police Officer, CSP Amuda Abolaji, arrogantly claimed that no one could dictate to him where he could arrest individuals. He recounted, “My lawyer wrote a letter to the DPO, explaining how I was illegally arrested and detained. When I went there last Monday (January 16) to deliver the letter, the DPO said nobody could tell him where to impound bikes and where not to, and whoever wanted to come and tell him that he went beyond his boundary should bring a map and argue it out. I did not reply him because he was talking aggressively.”
Motorcycle riders at New Garage reported that policemen from Isheri frequently arrest them, demanding between N40,000 and N70,000 for each seized motorcycle. Leaders of the Amalgamated Commercial Motorcycle Riders Association of Nigeria in the community informed Metro that they had lodged multiple complaints with the Isheri DPO, but he had failed to rein in his officers. During a visit to the community, our correspondent noted that New Garage is situated a considerable distance from Lagos State, with a sign indicating, “You are within the territory of Ifo Local Government Ogun State.”
A motorcycle rider, Razak Olabayo, shared that Isheri policemen had invaded the area again following Kristisanwo’s case. He stated, “They usually come around in mini-buses. They came on Wednesday, January 18, 2023, and seized two motorcycles. By the time they returned the following day (Thursday), we stood our ground and resisted them. Despite that, they still came yesterday (Sunday) and seized a motorcycle. They asked the rider to bring N30,000. I was called to intervene before the money was reduced to that amount.” Olatunji Ayodele, an executive member of ACOMORAN, expressed frustration over the ongoing illegal operations, saying, “This park has been in operation for a very long time until policemen from Isheri started disturbing us last year. We are law-abiding citizens; we decided to make a living from riding motorcycles, but these officers have denied us peace of mind. We now work with fear. We have proved to them various times that this unit is under Ogun State, and they also know this, but when they are in need of money, they come here, arrest us, and collect all our proceeds.”
Another executive member of the union, Moses Adefaye, noted that the association had begun to defend its members against these unlawful actions. He remarked, “They are always very fast in their operation, and by the time we get to the scene, they will have left.” Meanwhile, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, has yet to respond to inquiries regarding the matter. The Isheri Police Division has faced accusations of extortion in recent times. On July 5, 2022, our correspondent reported on a group of policemen from the division involved in an extortion scheme utilizing traffic lights in the community. Additionally, on July 19, 2022, transport union workers lamented being extorted by officers from the same division.
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