Okada riders, transport union’s fight not ethnic clash — Lagos police

By SEGUN ADEWOLE

The Lagos State Police Command has debunked claims that there was an ethnic clash at Iyana Iba in the Ojo Local Government Area of the state.

A statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer of the Command, Adejobi Olumuyiwa, revealed that the incident was a disagreement between motorcycle operators popularly known as Okada riders and members of a transport union in the state.

The PPPRO urged members of the public to go about their business as normalcy has been restored to the area.

The statement read, “The Lagos State @PoliceNG Command has restored normalcy to the Iyana Iba/Alaba Rago and Ojo areas of the state where there was a disagreement between the members of the transport unions, okada units precisely, on the increment in tariff today, Monday 26th April 2021.

“The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, CP Hakeem Odumosu, has ordered for immediate deployment of additional police personnel to the area to maintain law and order as he also directed the Area Commander, Area E Festac, to personally be on the ground to monitor the situation and invite the leaders of the affected Okada riders unit for an urgent meeting.

“The Command wishes to debunk the rumour that the disagreement, not violence as being peddled in the social media, was between some ethnic groups. Without mincing words, the incident has no ethic colouration whatsoever but a mere conflict between transport unions and their okada units on ticketing and increment in tariff.

“The Command, therefore, enjoins members of the public, especially those around the areas, including the students of the Lagos State University (LASU) Ojo, to go about their lawful businesses and studies respectively, as adequate deployment has been done to fortify security in the axis and by extension, in Lagos State in general.” (The PUNCH)