Crash helmet: 1,000 violators arrested in Lagos

Over 1,000 commercial motorcycle operators (popularly known as okada riders) were arrested in Lagos on Thursday for violating the crash helmet directive, which enforcement commenced nationwide on January 1.





Already, the cost of the protective helmets had increased by 100 per cent in some parts of the country as more people rush to purchase them to avoid wrath of the law.

The Federal Road Safety Commission had last year, fixed January 1, 2009 for the commencement of the enforcement.

Report across the country on Thursday said the FRSC made good its threat as some arrests were made on the first day of the enforcement.

In Lagos, the Sector Commander of FRSC, Mr. Kayode Olagungu, said over 1,000 motorcycle riders were arrested on the first day of the year for not using the protective helmets.

According to him, the motorcycles of the violators were also impounded and taken to the FRSC office at Ojodu.

Olagunju said that a committee led by the Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Prof. Bamidele Badejo, had been constituted to ensure total compliance and successful enforcement.

He added that a combined team of FRSC and the police carried out Thursday‘s enforcement.

Also speaking on the enforcement with one of our correspondents on Thursday, the FRSC Public Education Officer, Mr. Wole Olaniran, said the commission started the enforcement nationwide on January 1.

He said, ”We won‘t relax the enforcement. We‘ve been arresting those that were not using the helmet. We are happy that many people were already using it.”

“About 80 violators were arrested in one unit of Abuja alone, 35 in Kano and the same number in Kaduna. In Jos, they were rushing to buy the crash helmet there.”

He said that so far, it had recorded 50 per cent compliance by motorcyclists nationwide.

A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria who monitored the situation reports in Abuja, however, reported that most motorcyclists were not complying with the directive.

Meanwhile, some sellers of the helmets in Lagos, Abuja and Uyo were cashing in on the rush for the product to increase the price.

The product, which was offered at N800 as at last week, was now being sold between N1,200 and N2,500.

They were even luck those in PH had outright ban not to operate.

What a government.

the very truth about the total ban on okada operators in PH CITY remains that it is still part of their anti-non-indigenes policies...few or about no okada operator in that state is an indigene...

if u dont believe me...why must every corp member posted to Rivers state compulsorily serve in a secondary school ( wit d exception of lawyers n doctors)...are they the only educationally less developed state in Nigeria...!

Governor Amechi should pls be more humane especially with this okada ban thing...in calabar Okada is one of the sweetest modes of movement...just sanitise it...how can there be no okada in a state...just watch the crime rate,it will definitely spike

I have never seen a gov. whose main objective is to boarden the gap btw the haves and havenots.

So moyopic in reasoning wonder if his a graduate if he is then his school should be banned