There was commotion yesterday as operators of commercial motorcyclist popularly known as Okada riders clashed with members of the Nigerian police as the later were trying to enforce the Lagos traffic law by impounding some motorcyclists which was met with stiff resistance by the operators.
The incident is reported to have led to loss of lives and injuries; among the dead policemen was a Superintendent of Police (SP). Others were left with varying degree of injuries.
Investigation revealed that the operatives had embarked on an operation along Asa Afariogun Road in Ajao Estate to impound motorcycles for flouting the State Traffic Law
when the riders mobilised and attacked them.
They were said to have outnumbered the policemen, thus making it easier to first disarm the SP before using his service firearm to kill him.
Emboldened after shooting the SP, the riders were said to have stormed the police station where they allegedly opened fire, hitting some policemen on duty.
Given the scale of violence, motorists and pedestrians, including shop owners were forced to flee to safety, with the latter abandoning their wares.
Although it was not clear about the number of casualties recorded, it was gathered that temporary peace has been restored to the area as the police command sent reinforcement.
Expectedly, all commercial motorcyclists have gone into hiding for fear of reprisal by the police over the death of their colleagues.
The state police command is yet to make official statement confirming the incident and loss of lives as at press time
