The Lagos State Police Command has stated that suspected motorcyclists, known as Okada riders, are believed to be behind the attack on a BRT bus in the Orile area of Lagos on Wednesday. The incident, which occurred following a raid by the Lagos State Taskforce on Environment and Special Offences Enforcement Unit, resulted in the seizure of several motorcycles operating in restricted areas, including BRT lanes.
According to the Command’s spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, the attack was not an armed robbery but a retaliatory act by the angry Okada riders. After the seizure of their motorcycles, some riders mobilized and targeted the nearest government facility, which happened to be a BRT bus. The bus driver fled, leaving the bus vulnerable to vandalism.
Hundeyin mentioned that while there are claims that passengers were robbed during the incident, no official reports of robbery have been made to the police. The raid that led to the altercation saw the impoundment of 164 motorcycles in violation of the Lagos State Road Transport Sector Reform Law of 2018, which bans motorcycles from highways across the state.
