The Lagos State Task Force on Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences, has on Tuesday, confiscated 115 motorcycles, including 22 branded commercial motorcycles called ‘Gokada’ and ‘Maxokada’, for flouting the state road traffic laws.
Confirming the development, the Chairman of the task force, Olayinka Egbeyemi, said that the motorcyclists were operating on restricted routes and driving against traffic around Ikeja, Ojota and Maryland.
Adding that the activities of the branded commercial motorcycle operators were illegal and without valid documentation by the state government, Egbeyemi ordered the owners and operators of ‘Gokada’ and ‘Maxokada’ to comply with the Lagos State Road Traffic Law, 2012.
According to him, the law prohibits commercial motorcycle operators from plying 475 restricted routes, including highways and bridges across the state.
He said, “The government enjoined members of the public to henceforth desist from patronising commercial motorcyclists on all restricted routes as the passengers are also liable to prosecution.
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“It was an eyesore seeing the operators of these newly-branded commercial motorcycles, ‘Gokada’ and ‘Maxokada’, in competition for the right of way with motorists on highways and bridges across the state”
The task force chairman explained that state Commissioner of Police, Zubairu Mu’azu, had ordered the prosecution of the 10 riders arrested.
However, one of the arrested ‘Gokada’ riders, Francis Ayeni, who claimed to be paying N3,000 per day to the management of the ride-hailing company, said he was not aware of any documentation that needed to be made with the government.