Okada restriction in Lagos: Snatching of money from bank customers has reduced-Manko

If there are any sets of people celebrating the restriction of commercial bike riders, otherwise known as Okada riders in Lagos State, it probably the police and banking sectors.

The state’s Commissioner of Police, Prince Umar Manko in a private chat with Daily Newswatch, revealed that since the restriction, the number of bank customers’ whose money were snatched as they leave the banking hall and premises had reduced drastically.

The state government for long, had been discussing the restriction, but in July 2012, the restriction was fully implemented and executed.

And according to 2012 statistics made available by the police command to the Daily Newswatch, in July there were about 18 robbery incidents. Among those robberies, commercial motorbikes were used in seven different robbery operations. In August, 12 robbery cases were officially reported and motorbikes were used in 10. And as the months continued, the numbers of motorbikes used in robberies, got down to Nil.

In December, there were five robbery incidents, but none involved the use of motorbikes.

The grand total of robberies was put at 52, with 22 involving operations which robbers used motorbikes to rob.

Manko said: “ Though we still have some isolated cases of people using motorbikes to commit robbery, but generally speaking,  I think the security situation in the state has improved greatly! Most of them formerly used them for committing robberies on the highways. In the past, they also waited for people to come out of banks, so that they would snatch their money, but since they’ve been restricted, security has improved. Everything has changed! The state government has also provided us with lots of motorcycles to patrol round the metropolis. You see men of Rapid Response Squad(RRS) on some of these motorcycles, patrolling around the city.”

He also revealed that a Task Force has been set up to tackle the issue of uniform men, including police who flout the state’s government order against riding motorbikes in areas that they ought not to.  He said he was not unaware that some criminally minded individual could impersonate uniform personnel in order to get away with the commission of the crime of riding motorbikes on restricted areas.

“We already have a Task Force of the Command, which is directly responsible for taking care of this menace of uniform services,” said Manko. “They are to ensure that anybody or any person who uses uniform and is not a uniform man to ride motorcycle is impounded. The Task Force has started working and we are achieving results. If a policeman is arrested in restricted areas, he losses the motorcycle! He will be put on trial and he faces the law. We’ve also asked our other colleagues in the other services to warn their men and let them know that they are affected too.

“I’ve been arresting them too. I remembered that while I was trying to arrest one around Police College, he tried to run away. He ran into a ditch and broke his leg. I asked that he been taken him to the hospital while his motorcycle was taken to Alausa.”

Between January and December 2012, 533 robbers were arrested and 146 died during encounters with the police. In July, the month motorbikes restriction started, 56 robbers were arrested, while eight were killed. In November 28 were arrested, while 22 killed. By December 39 were arrested and 9 killed.

Manko strongly believes that the situation can only get better; adding that by the end of 2013, robbery records will not show the same record it’s showed for 2012. 

With confidence and determination ringing in his voice, he enthused: “I’m very sure that by the time we will be having this sort of conversation again by the end of this year, we would not have up to this number of robbers, either in operation or arrested because most of them were arrested on motorcycles. So with that one out of the way now, coupled with the fact that we are more determined now than ever to ensure that crime is brought to the  barest minimum, I don’t think we would have up to this figure!”

This belief maybe more feasible if the Task Force members are up and doing, for just on February 17, 2013, a policeman, riding against traffic was arrested along the Sango toll gate axis.

He apparently thought that because he was a policeman, he could do anything and get away with it. He not only flouted the law by riding his motorbikes in areas where he was not supposed to, he also went far by riding against traffic.

The policemen who arrested him were however shocked to their bone marrows when the arrested man, in full Police Inspector uniform, turned out to be a fake policeman!

A police source said: “Inspector Tukur Muhammed, attached to team 21 Federal Highway Patrol, toll gate point, accosted an Okada rider, riding against the traffic on February 17 and when he was flagged down, he introduced himself as an Inspector of police and upon extensive interrogation, the suspect confessed to have impersonated the rank of an Inspector of Police. He was taken to Alagbado Police Station for further investigation.”