Police officers arrest, prosecute motorcycle Riders for using ‘unathorised helmets’
Police officers arrest, prosecute motorcycle Riders for using ‘unathorised helmets’
No fewer than nine commercial motorcyclists popularly known as Okada have been arrested by men of the Ogun State police command for allegedly using unauthorised helmets.
Disclosing this in a statement on Monday, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Omolola Odutola, said the nine suspects are currently being interrogated at the Ijebu Ode Police Station.
He said they include: Joseph Itodo, Johnson Joseph, Ugwu Samson, Osinowo Seyi, and five others “who were unable to provide a reasonable explanation for wearing unauthorised helmets and masking their faces with bandanas.”
According to the PPRO, the directive came from the state Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alamutu, in a bid to address the use of illegal motorcycle helmet.
In view of the directive, Odutola said that the “police have started arresting individuals who wear tinted reflective helmets and pose as commercial motorcyclists to rob unsuspecting passengers.”
She disclosed that, “It has become increasingly common for these criminals to wrap bandanas around their faces, leaving only their eyes visible, while wearing the unauthorised helmets as a disguise.”
This method, she alleged, allows the Okada riders “to conceal their identities and carry out their illegal activities.”
As a response to this growing trend, the PPRO disclosed that “The police have successfully arrested nine riders who were found to be using these illegal methods to conceal their identities.”
She further urged the state residents to exercise caution by conducting identity checks on motorcycle riders before getting on board to avoid potential kidnapping and robbery.
