FG Mulls To  Ban Okada Business In A Move To Cripple Bandits

By Ayodele Oni

The end may be near for those that use motorcycles as means of survival as the Federal Government is mulling an idea to put an end to the use of motorcycles in the country.

Motorcycles became means of transportation in the country to fill the gap created by buses, especially in the remote areas where there are no motorable roads.

Also, following a surge in unemployment, some graduates resort to the use of motorcycles for commercial purposes to eke out a living.

But, Nigeria’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN,  said the use of motorcycles has gone beyond that.

According to him, bandits now use motorcycles to raise funds for their activities, as well as a means of transport during their activities.

Rising from a meeting of Security Chiefs on Thursday, the Attorney General announced that the Federal Government is considering placing a ban on the use of motorcycles, popularly known as okada.

Briefing State House reporters after a meeting of National Security Council (NSC) presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Malami explained that motorcycles are used for mining activities across the country and the ban could cut off sources of funds of terrorists and bandits.

The Minister, who was flanked by his Interior and Police Affairs counterparts, Rauf Aregbesola and Mohammed Dingyadi, said the meeting deliberated on the logistics used by the terrorists in a bid to stop their activities.

He said the Government needed to act because terrorists have moved from the conventional ways of funding their activities to mining and ransom taking.

Malami said the motorcycles were used by the bandits for movement, while mining provides them the money to fund their arms supply.

The Minister pointed out that Government is not unmindful of implications of the ban of motorcycles and mining activities on ordinary Nigerians and the economy, but that national interest should be above that of individuals.

While speaking, Aregbesola confirmed that Government had intelligence report before the recent attack on Kuje Correctional Centre but regretted that there was the absence of will to act on it.

The Minister, who revealed that preliminary report of investigation on the attack had been submitted to the President, assured that detailed report would be made available at the end of the probe.

He said those found to have abandoned their responsibilities would be punished.