The Lagos State Police Command says 192 persons have died from motorcycle ( Okada) accidents in the state from January to May 9
The Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu made this known during the Stakeholders Meeting on Security on Monday in Ikeja, while appraising the security situation in Lagos State.
He said that the 192 deaths were from 280 Okada accidents that occurred during the period under review.
The CP said that the number of deaths recorded in road accidents and crime committed with the use of Okada across the state, had assumed a worrisome dimension as the statistics continued to be on the increase.
”Available record in the Command revealed that, from January to May 9, 2021, the statistics of accidents are: January – 90; February – 76; March – 101; April – 84 and May – 34 till date.
”Out of these figures, the following numbers are motorcycle related accidents: January – 64 representing 71.1%; February – 50 representing 65.8%; March – 101 representing 78.4%; April – 66 representing 70.2% and May – 20 representing 83.3% till date.
”In further analysing the data, the figure for January include 41 cases in which there were fatalities, 18 cases with injuries, while 5 were just minor accidents; in February 37 cases of fatalities, 10 cases with injuries, while 3 minor accidents were recorded.
”March had 58 fatality cases, 16 cases with injuries, while 6 were minor accidents; April include 42 cases in which there were 11 fatalities, 16 cases with injuries, while 8 were just minor accidents; up till Friday, 7th May, 2021, 14 cases of fatalities and 4 cases with injuries, while 2 minor accident were recorded,” he said.
Odumosu said that Okada accidents on the roads were mostly caused by recklessness and lawlessness of its riders.
He said that it was common sight in Lagos metropolis to see Okada operators ride recklessly on highways facing on coming road users, especially during traffic peak periods.
Odumoso also said that crimes such as armed robbery, kidnapping and hard drugs are mostly perpetrated on motorbikes
”The menace of Okada operators does not end with avoidable accidents.
“Crime reports from the field have shown that, a greater percentage of crimes, ranging from armed robbery, cultism, kidnapping, murder, burglary and stealing, are attributable to armed hoodlums who operate on Okada.
”Also, traffic robbery to carjacking and cash snatching from bank customers, who go to the banks to make transactions, are attributable to armed hoodlums who operate on Okada. So also movement of arms.
”It has also been established of Okadas being illegally used as a veritable means of conveying hard drugs from one point to another. The consequences of spreading of hard drugs and its consumption are better imagined than said,” he said.
Odumosu said that a large section of Lagos populace had come to regard commercial motorcycles as a necessary evil, hence, government should take more drastic measures against their notoriety.
He added that, further stringent measures must be taken to permanently curtail the excesses of operators of commercial motorcycles.
