Okada riders protest killing of colleague by police

Commercial motorcyclists at Ajah Roundabout staged a protest against the death of their member who was allegedly crushed to death by a police van at about 6am on Monday.

It was learnt that the riders converged around 8am on Obadoore Road where the victim’s corpse was found.

The protest of the aggrieved okada riders was said to have caused a traffic snarl on the road.

It was gathered that the victim, Musa Eliya, an indigene of Borno State, was being chased by the policemen.

He was reported to have been hit by their van, which smashed his head in the process.

It was said that a police team from the Ajah Division arrived at the scene to disperse the protesters who further alleged that they were being harassed by the security agents.

However, normalcy had been restored in the area as of 12pm when our correspondent visited Obadoore.

He noted that the road was littered with green leaves that the protesters used during their demonstration.

An okada rider, who identified himself simply as Bala, said the police were frustrating their operation in the area.

He said, “They (the police) killed the boy around 6am with their van. They disturb us here a lot, especially the Rapid Response Squad officials, even though we pay them security fees on weekly basis.”

Another protester, Aderoju Ridwan, described Eliya’s death as one of the numerous experiences they faced from the police.

Ridwan said, “That is how they have been molesting us. Two weeks ago at Awoyaya, they chased three okadariders into the mouth of a BRT bus. Just some days back now, one of us was shot in the leg. We took him to a police station near Ajiwe, Ajah, but up till now the officer that shot him has not been questioned.

“Some of us are graduates, who if gainfully employed, would not have been engaging in this kind of job. Do they want us to go and steal?”

A rider and student of University of Ibadan, Michael Olapade, urged the police to desist from victimising them, adding that the road they were plying was not restricted from okada activities by the Lagos State Road Traffic Law.

The Lagos State deputy police spokesperson, Lelma Kolle, promised to call our correspondent back. He, however, had yet to do so as of press time.