A yet-to-be identified commercial motorcyclist (okada rider),
is feared killed after a protest against increment of ticket fee by the
Articulate Motorcycle Owners and Riders Association, AMORAN, Ogun State
chapter, turned bloody.
It was learnt that the riders mobilised
to Oju-Ore, Sango Ota, on Monday, decrying the hike of the ticket fee
from N750 to N1,050.
It was gathered that some hoodlums,
allegedly working for the union executive, attacked the protesters,
leading to a free-for-all.
One of the riders was allegedly stabbed
in the neck and was said to have died in a hospital. Another member of
the union, identified as Kudus, was also injured.
It was learnt that policemen from the Sango division later restored peace to the area around 11am.
We learnt that the
union worked in conjunction with the state government and the Ado/Odo
Ota Local Government Area, covering motorcycle parks in Oju-Ore, Lafenwa
and Ilogbo, among others.
A sum of N320 is written on the two tickets issued by the union at the rate of N1,050, an okada rider, who identified himself as Chinedu Silvester, said.
Silvester stated that his major
discontent was the union’s failure to use the money for projects that
could make parks better in the area.
He added that several persons were wounded in the clash.
He said, “We were paying N750 per day,
but it has now been increased to N1,050. That was what led to the
protest. The union thugs, who issue the tickets, are violent and we
don’t know what the money is being used for. A lot of people were
wounded and I leant one person died, but I don’t know his name because
the riders in Sango Ota are about 1,000. All of us pay the ticket fee
everyday and what they give to the local government is N20 per rider
while the state government gets N300.
“I am not against the fee if they will
use the money to maintain the parks. Some of the parks around here are
too dirty which is not supposed to be. We want the government to
intervene.”
Another rider, who declined to give his name, said the hoodlums were led by one Dangbure.
“One of us was stabbed in the neck and
was rushed to a hospital, but I was later told he died there. In the two
tickets, N300 and N20 are written on them, but we pay N750 which they
have now increased to N1,050. The police will come here, arrest us and
take our motorcycles to the station. We pay N5,000 before it is
released. The union members do not defend us. The Ogun State Traffic
Compliance and Enforcement officials come to harass us unnecessarily.
The union does nothing,” he said.
An elder in the community, who did not
want his name in print for fear of being attacked, said the union
connived with the police to oppress the riders. He said some members of
the union had built houses from the money they collected from the
riders.
He said, “The union executive use policemen to oppress the riders. They make millions of naira from the okada
riders; N750 is too much, let alone N1,050. They make more money than
the riders. An okada rider told me about the clash and he said one of
them was killed.”
The state Secretary, AMORAN, Akindele
Adedayo, said there was a clash between the union executive and the
motorcyclists. He, however, said the increment had not been enforced,
adding that nobody died in the fracas.
He said, “There was a little conflict between the union and the okada riders
and we have already settled it. The allegation that we are selling our
tickets at N1,000 plus is a lie. We are collecting N750 from them.
“We are still trying our best to reduce
the fee if we can. Those riders actually injured one of the union
officials; none of them was injured and we arrested the particular
person that did it. The security agents are in charge now.”
The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Muyiwa Adejobi, said peace had been restored to the area.
He said, “There was a clash between the union executive and okada riders, but nobody was killed. The police from the Sango division were mobilised to the scene and normalcy has been restored.”
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