The Lagos State Police Command has revealed that the individuals behind the alleged attack on a BRT bus in the Orile area of the state on Wednesday are suspected Okada riders whose motorcycles were confiscated.
Benjamin Hundeyin, the spokesperson for the Command, disclosed this information during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos on Friday.
Hundeyin clarified that the incident was not a case of armed robbery but a reaction by the suspected motorcyclists to the seizure of their motorcycles.
According to him, the Lagos State Taskforce on Environment and Special Offences Enforcement Unit conducted a crackdown on commercial motorcyclists operating on BRT lanes and other restricted roads, leading to the impounding of several motorcycles.
He alleged that some motorcyclists, resistant to the police during the operation, were apprehended.
“Angered motorcyclists mobilized to protest. They targeted the closest Lagos State Government facility, which happened to be a BRT bus,” he explained.
In their rage, they compelled the bus driver to halt and then proceeded to assault the bus. The driver, feeling unsafe to navigate through the crowd, abandoned the bus, allowing the riders to vandalize the BRT’s windows.
“Though there are allegations of passenger robbery within the bus, no one has come forward to report such incidents to the authorities,” he added.
NAN reported that on Tuesday, the Lagos State Taskforce on Environment and Special Offences Enforcement Unit impounded 164 motorcycles from the state’s highways.
The Taskforce cited violations of the Lagos State Road Transport Sector Reform Law of 2018, which prohibits motorcycle usage on all state highways.
NAN.