JUST IN: Okada Riders Protest in Calabar Over Seizure of Bikes, Block Major Roads

By Missang AKPET

Commercial motorcycle riders, popularly known as Okada riders, at 8 Miles in Calabar are currently staging a protest along 8 miles over the recurring seizure of their motorcycles by security personnel.

The protest according to eyewitness is in response to the continued enforcement of the ban on motorcycles within Calabar metropolis, which they claim is being carried out with excessive force and brutality.

According to the riders, police officers, most times in collaboration with soldiers, use at least two Hilux vehicles to chase Okada riders in 8 Miles. 

The operatives, who allegedly cover their faces, are said to use trucks to load the seized motorcycles to unknown destinations.

The riders who have gone as far as blocking major roads along 8 miles further alleged that in the process of the arrests, security personnel deliberately ram into riders and their passengers in a bid to stop them for arrest.

This they say had led to permanent injuries and deformities to many people including passengers.

Most of the affected riders lament that they acquired their motorcycles through hire purchase and now risk losing both the bikes and their only source of income.

Also, residents of 8 miles lament the BAN on bikes around the vicinity, stressing that 8 miles is supposed to be exempted because of the peculiarity of the terrain.

"Some of us have houses inside some kilometers away from the highway which are not taxi or bus routes, we depend on this bikes to take us to our houses"

"When this bikes are being banned and seized, how does the government want us to access our houses from the roads? That has always been our recurrent plight whenever there is such raid".