By Maria Famakinwa
Rowdiness, disorderliness and unprecedented high number of foreigners’ incursion into the activities of commercial motorcycists, otherwise called okada riders seem to be replacing orderliness and some level of sanity once experienced in the sector in some major cities in Ondo State, particularly, the state capital Akure.
It appears as if the ban on Okada in some states in the south west and insecurity in the Northern part of the country is causing the high rate of incursion of Okada riders into the state. Though, the situation comes with some economic benefits to the state in form of increase in internal generated revenue, however, the trend is also posing some huge security challenges.
Residents of some major cities in the state such as Akure, Ondo, Ore are raising eyebrows on the deluge of foreigners, strange faces who now flood the cities’ streets, plying the okada commercial business. The snag of it all is that many of the strange faces are homeless as they are mostly found at nights clustered around religious worship centres, shops, markets, uncompleted buildings where they take their shelter at night.
The fear of most of the residents is also the high rate of cobblers, wheel barrow pushers and those picking scrabs, parading the streets, given the new wave of kidnapping, armed robbery and other nefarious activities reported which are alien to the State.
Concerned residents who spoke with The Hope said that at night, these foreigners sleep in uncompleted buildings, schools, market shops, bus-stops in most parts of Akure especially at Old-Garage, Oba-Ile, Oke-Aro, Shasha, Ijoka, Road Block, Agbogbo, among other areas.
The number of Okada riders has continued to rise on a daily basis in these areas. The worrying aspect is that apart from not being properly documented, investigation showed that these foreign motorcyclists have no permanent place of residence they may be traced to should the need arise.
In the submission of an Okada rider who ply Oke-Aro, Mr Olaolu Orimoloye, confirmed that most northerners who take to Okada business have no permanent place of residence.
His words: “When it is night, you will see them spreading their prayer mats at spacious place in the street to sleep. The next morning, they get up and continue the day’s job. Residents in the area raised alarm when they discovered this but nothing has been done. Some of them also sleep in school compounds without gates. My fear is that they may pose security threat because incidents of robbery have been on the increase in Oke-Aro. One of them was arrested last year for stealing and selling Okada parts.”
Another Okada rider in Oba-Ile, Mr Olagoke Abiodun, maintained that most of the Okada riders don’t have permanent place of abode which make it easy for them to get away with any crime.
He said: “Most of them sleep in abandoned uncompleted buildings, some in isolated places. Sometimes in November last year, some of them were discovered sleeping in an uncompleted building in my area, at Owode. The community security sent them off and they never came to the place again. People just need to be very vigilant about happenings in their environment. Foreigners riding okadas are serious security threat because most of their okadas are not registered with any association in the state and cannot be traced.”
In the words of an artisan who is also into Okada commercial business plying Agbogbo axis in Akure, Mr Kazeem Oloyede, disclosed that the lifestyle of an average northerner is to sleep outside the house and added that anyone who has been to the north would attest to this.
He called on security operatives to rise to the occasion going by the increasing crime rate in the state: “I want to urge security operatives to also go after those foreigners who use wheelbarrows to carry loads in the markets and those shoe cobblers. They sleep in shops in the markets, stealing what is available. The fear of most residents of Akure is that some of the northerners who ride Okada do so basically to understand better the terrain in order to escape when they perpetrate evil. That is why they tell their passengers to give them directions. They are in every location in Ondo State especially Akure, the state capital. They sleep on the streets, bus-stops, schools, uncompleted buildings, bushes among others. Amotekun should please address this security challenge before it becomes a serious security threat,” he said.
In the submission of a woman who reside at Old-Garage in Akure, Mrs Grace Ajakaye, said the foreigners are not only Okada riders.
Her words: “You need to be here at midnight and understand better what residents in this area are contending with. You will see Okada riders park their okada in a place and sleep outside. Not only them, other homeless and jobless people who are not motorcyclists also join them. We complained years ago but the situation has remained the same. One thing we discovered is that those who have been here before do accommodate new comers to join them to sleep in any open space at night. They don’t have any traceable addresses. Some people claimed it is their way of life but I think the number is becoming unusual against safety because we cannot differentiate who is who among them.”
A Security Expert and Consultant, Mr Adam Abuh, advised that communities should form vigilante groups to support law enforcement agents to keep tab on foreign okada riders.
His words: “We should not limit it to foreign Okada riders alone, there are other criminal elements around causing security risks. Let every community form vigilante group, fish them out and take them to law enforcement agents. We cannot leave the job of security to law enforcement agents alone. The society must support them to end insecurity in the State.
“It is not enough to give resources to security officials without taking active part to protect lives and property in our respective areas. Insecurity rate across the country is assuming a frightening dimension. Criminal elements have taken over everywhere. We should not profile anyone but be watchful to bring anyone caught to book.
“How are we sure that the local Okada riders are not the one showing them the way? For instance, how did the herdsmen know our terrain before they started unleashing mayhem? This is why we should be careful and stop profiling but be very vigilant to arrest them and hand them over to the appropriate authorities.
“ The Judiciary should also be up and doing. In a situation where criminal elements who should be jailed are released does not send warning to others. We must compel Judges to do the needful in order to rid our society of bad eggs.”
Reacting to the development, a former Commissioner of Education in Ondo State and an Afenifere chieftain, Chief Femi Aluko, called on Amotekun operatives in the State to rise to the situation before it gets out of control.
Aluko, who also urged residents to be vigilant and report any security breach in their environment to law enforcement agents added that security should be everyone concern and people should be ready to provide information in this regard to the appropriate authorities.
Rowdiness, disorderliness and unprecedented high number of foreigners’ incursion into the activities of commercial motorcycists, otherwise called okada riders seem to be replacing orderliness and some level of sanity once experienced in the sector in some major cities in Ondo State, particularly, the state capital Akure.
It appears as if the ban on Okada in some states in the south west and insecurity in the Northern part of the country is causing the high rate of incursion of Okada riders into the state. Though, the situation comes with some economic benefits to the state in form of increase in internal generated revenue, however, the trend is also posing some huge security challenges.
Residents of some major cities in the state such as Akure, Ondo, Ore are raising eyebrows on the deluge of foreigners, strange faces who now flood the cities’ streets, plying the okada commercial business. The snag of it all is that many of the strange faces are homeless as they are mostly found at nights clustered around religious worship centres, shops, markets, uncompleted buildings where they take their shelter at night.
The fear of most of the residents is also the high rate of cobblers, wheel barrow pushers and those picking scrabs, parading the streets, given the new wave of kidnapping, armed robbery and other nefarious activities reported which are alien to the State.
Concerned residents who spoke with The Hope said that at night, these foreigners sleep in uncompleted buildings, schools, market shops, bus-stops in most parts of Akure especially at Old-Garage, Oba-Ile, Oke-Aro, Shasha, Ijoka, Road Block, Agbogbo, among other areas.
The number of Okada riders has continued to rise on a daily basis in these areas. The worrying aspect is that apart from not being properly documented, investigation showed that these foreign motorcyclists have no permanent place of residence they may be traced to should the need arise.
In the submission of an Okada rider who ply Oke-Aro, Mr Olaolu Orimoloye, confirmed that most northerners who take to Okada business have no permanent place of residence.
His words: “When it is night, you will see them spreading their prayer mats at spacious place in the street to sleep. The next morning, they get up and continue the day’s job. Residents in the area raised alarm when they discovered this but nothing has been done. Some of them also sleep in school compounds without gates. My fear is that they may pose security threat because incidents of robbery have been on the increase in Oke-Aro. One of them was arrested last year for stealing and selling Okada parts.”
Another Okada rider in Oba-Ile, Mr Olagoke Abiodun, maintained that most of the Okada riders don’t have permanent place of abode which make it easy for them to get away with any crime.
He said: “Most of them sleep in abandoned uncompleted buildings, some in isolated places. Sometimes in November last year, some of them were discovered sleeping in an uncompleted building in my area, at Owode. The community security sent them off and they never came to the place again. People just need to be very vigilant about happenings in their environment. Foreigners riding okadas are serious security threat because most of their okadas are not registered with any association in the state and cannot be traced.”
In the words of an artisan who is also into Okada commercial business plying Agbogbo axis in Akure, Mr Kazeem Oloyede, disclosed that the lifestyle of an average northerner is to sleep outside the house and added that anyone who has been to the north would attest to this.
He called on security operatives to rise to the occasion going by the increasing crime rate in the state: “I want to urge security operatives to also go after those foreigners who use wheelbarrows to carry loads in the markets and those shoe cobblers. They sleep in shops in the markets, stealing what is available. The fear of most residents of Akure is that some of the northerners who ride Okada do so basically to understand better the terrain in order to escape when they perpetrate evil. That is why they tell their passengers to give them directions. They are in every location in Ondo State especially Akure, the state capital. They sleep on the streets, bus-stops, schools, uncompleted buildings, bushes among others. Amotekun should please address this security challenge before it becomes a serious security threat,” he said.
In the submission of a woman who reside at Old-Garage in Akure, Mrs Grace Ajakaye, said the foreigners are not only Okada riders.
Her words: “You need to be here at midnight and understand better what residents in this area are contending with. You will see Okada riders park their okada in a place and sleep outside. Not only them, other homeless and jobless people who are not motorcyclists also join them. We complained years ago but the situation has remained the same. One thing we discovered is that those who have been here before do accommodate new comers to join them to sleep in any open space at night. They don’t have any traceable addresses. Some people claimed it is their way of life but I think the number is becoming unusual against safety because we cannot differentiate who is who among them.”
A Security Expert and Consultant, Mr Adam Abuh, advised that communities should form vigilante groups to support law enforcement agents to keep tab on foreign okada riders.
His words: “We should not limit it to foreign Okada riders alone, there are other criminal elements around causing security risks. Let every community form vigilante group, fish them out and take them to law enforcement agents. We cannot leave the job of security to law enforcement agents alone. The society must support them to end insecurity in the State.
“It is not enough to give resources to security officials without taking active part to protect lives and property in our respective areas. Insecurity rate across the country is assuming a frightening dimension. Criminal elements have taken over everywhere. We should not profile anyone but be watchful to bring anyone caught to book.
“How are we sure that the local Okada riders are not the one showing them the way? For instance, how did the herdsmen know our terrain before they started unleashing mayhem? This is why we should be careful and stop profiling but be very vigilant to arrest them and hand them over to the appropriate authorities.
“ The Judiciary should also be up and doing. In a situation where criminal elements who should be jailed are released does not send warning to others. We must compel Judges to do the needful in order to rid our society of bad eggs.”
Reacting to the development, a former Commissioner of Education in Ondo State and an Afenifere chieftain, Chief Femi Aluko, called on Amotekun operatives in the State to rise to the situation before it gets out of control.
Aluko, who also urged residents to be vigilant and report any security breach in their environment to law enforcement agents added that security should be everyone concern and people should be ready to provide information in this regard to the appropriate authorities.
