Sunday, October 18, 2026

Riot as Okada riders make bonfires to protest ban in Lagos

The commercial motorcyclists popularly known as Okada riders made bonfires on the major road, disrupting human and vehicular movement.

• June 7, 2022
Bonfire on Idi-Araba road Lagos
Bonfire on Idi-Araba road Lagos [Photo Credit: Daily Post Nigeria]

Commercial motorcyclists in Idi-Araba, Surulere local government area of Lagos, protested the seizure of their motorcycles by the State Taskforce on Tuesday.

The commercial motorcyclists popularly known as Okada riders made bonfires on the major road, disrupting human and vehicular movement, after Taskforce officials were reported to have seized some motorcycles in the area 

Footage circulated online shows police officers shooting sporadically into the air to disperse the crowd.

Reacting, the police spokesperson in Lagos, Benjamin Hundeyin, said “Idi-Araba is safe. Nothing to worry about. Just some lawless motorcycle operators trying to cause trouble after their motorcycles were impounded. Our men are fully on ground. CP Abiodun Alabi personally coordinating our response.”

In May, the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu imposed a fresh ban on the activities of Okada riders in six local government areas, namely, Eti-Osa, Ikeja, Lagos Island, Lagos Mainland, Apapa, and Surulere.

Last Friday, the state government crushed over 2,000 motorcycles seized across the state as the ban took effect on June 1, 2022.

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.

More from Peoples Gazette

Nigerian Bar Association

States

Independence: NBA urges Nigerians to expect better future

The NBA said that ordinary Nigerians should be deriving benefit from the subsidy removal rather than hardship.

farmers

Agriculture

FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology

The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Katsina State

Politics

Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku

“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

Diaspora

Runsewe urges Nigerians in diaspora to respect host countries’ laws

Mr Runsewe said the Netherlands incident was a hangover of Nigerian culture in a foreign land.

Minister of Budget and Economic Planning Abubakar Bagudu

Heading 2

Tinubu’s economic reforms yielding results despite doubts: Bagudu

Mr Bagudu described Mr Tinubu as a visionary leader whose decisions demonstrated courage and commitment to national development.

Nigeria’s female U-17 team, the Flamingos

Sport

Flamingos lose 2-1 to Poland in FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup opener

Poland’s Natalia Skrok made it two in the second half when Blanka Zajac, in the 65th minute, crossed into the Nigerian penalty area.

Peter Mbah

States

Gov Mbah scraps N750 daily ticket fee for Enugu tricycle operators, extends work hours

Mr Mbah also disclosed that tricycle operators would continue to use the state’s modern transport terminals free of charge.

Nuhu Ribadu

States

FG unveils five-point strategy to tackle banditry, terrorism in Sokoto

Mr Ribadu called for sustained security deployments around vulnerable settlements, forest corridors and border communities.