SOME Lagos residents have alleged exploitation by some policemen who pretend to be commercial motorcycle riders, popularly called Okada, which has been banned in some parts of the state.
According to media reports, the residents said that the alleged perpetrators usually carry their passengers to a waiting task force for arrest.
They alleged that after the arrest, the task force, made up of policemen, would allow the Okada riders to leave but threaten the passengers with a prosecution.
They also said that the task force would take the passengers to their station and make them pay as much as #50,000 for bail.
The residents listed some of the areas where these policemen allegedly operate including Oshodi, Iyana-Ipaja, Sango, Ikotun, Ketu, and Mile 12.
A resident, who claimed to have fallen victim, Mr Akinyemi Oni, alleged that it was a planned exploitation. He said that both the Okada riders and the task force were working together.
When contacted, the Spokesperson for the Lagos State Command of the Nigeria Police Force, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, described the alleged victims as lawbreakers who should be arrested.
Hundeyin said that the law banning commercial motorcycle operations in the affected areas had not been repealed. He listed the alleged victims' offences as riding on Okada in prohibited areas and offering bribes to public officers, adding that bribe collection by a public officer remained an offence.
“The victims should report the conduct of the officers, with their names, to their Divisional Police Officers or the Police Public Relations Officer,” he added.
DAILY POST
