COVID-19: Seize commercial motorcycles and ask operators to trek home, Kwara CP tells officers
The Kwara State Police command has directed its men to seize commercial motorcycles of operators defying state government lockdown directives by conducting business.
The police boss, Kayode Egbetokun, made this known in a statement issued on Saturday in Ilorin, the Kwara State Capital.
Egbetokun while issuing the directives said, “commercial motorcycles seen on the road must be seized and the rider violators be forced to go home on foot. Seized motorcycles are not to be released until the end of the emergency period.
He added, “Where neccessary, road block should be established in the evening time to ensure maximum compliance by the incalcitrant okada riders. Shop owners and park violators are to be forced to comply. You are to note that the primary focus of this assignment is not to make arrests but to force compliance. We don’t want to do this by crowding our cells or our stations and putting ourselves and others at risk of what we are preventing.
Speaking on compliance by Kwarans, he revealed that it was initially poor in the early hours of yesterday (Friday) but was raised to 70% when police team began enforcement.
He said, “The situation got better in the afternoon as the level of compliance moved to 90%. A few recalcitrant commercial motorcyclists who were seen defiling the restriction order were responsible for the 10% deficit in compliance.
“It was however saddening that the good job we did in the morning and afternoon was messed up with okada riders trooping out as early as 4pm as if the ban on them has been lifted. This must not be allowed to happen today.”
