Police clash with motorcycle riders in Lagos

Tension erupted on Tuesday evening in the Isheri area of Lagos State after a confrontation between police officers and motorcycle riders.

The clash, which occurred around 8:30 pm, took place when officers from the Idimu Police Station attempted to seize motorcycles from the riders.

According to reports, the motorcycle operators were gathered at their park, waiting to pick up passengers, when police arrived in a minibus, also known as a ‘Korope,’ and began to seize their motorcycles. The riders resisted the officers, leading to a physical altercation.

An eyewitness, Olusoji Aina, shared details of the incident, stating that during the clash, the windshield of the police minibus was shattered, and some of the officers took one of the motorcycles. He explained, “When the policemen arrived, some riders fled with their motorcycles. The unlucky ones were caught on the spot but refused to let go of their motorcycles. That was when they started to struggle with the police. It got confrontational, and some of the boys supporting the riders broke the windshield of the police minibus.”

When our correspondent visited the scene on Wednesday morning, fragments of the broken windshield were found scattered on the ground.

One rider, who wished to remain anonymous, accused the police of frequently raiding their park. He said, “This has been happening for a while now. The police come, seize our motorcycles, and we have to go to the station the next day and pay a fee to get them back. I managed to escape when they arrived yesterday.”

Another rider, identified as Wasiu, explained that their route was a designated one. “We are still allowed to operate at that time, and we only shuttle between Council and Powerline, which is a designated route. We don’t understand why they raid us.”

When contacted, Gladys Faniyi, the Divisional Police Officer of Idimu Police Station, denied knowledge of the incident. She said, “I am not aware that my men were involved in such an incident. I will look into it. Motorcycle operators often use non-designated routes, which is why we arrest them.”

The community has raised concerns over what they describe as arbitrary arrests and mistreatment by police officers. Landlords and residents have also accused officers at the station of extorting money from motorcycle riders due to the failure of their union leaders to remit certain fees.

In a previous incident on December 2, 2022, around 8:25 pm, police officers stormed the Powerline unit of the motorcycle park, beating riders and seizing six motorcycles. The officers, numbering around 15, arrived in two commercial buses and also assaulted traders and passengers who tried to intervene.