About 20 commercial motorcyclists (a.k.a Okada riders) were killed, and their motorcycles stolen in the last 21 days in Ondo State.
Commander, Ondo State Security Network Agency, otherwise known as Amotekun Corps, Adetunji Adeleye, disclosed this, yesterday, while parading some suspected criminals at Amotekun headquarters in Akure, the state capital.
Lamenting the surge in violent attacks on commercial motorcyclists across the state, Adetunji said since most attacks occurred at night, operatives of the security outfit have started enforcing the ban on the operations of commercial motorcyclists between 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., to curb the menace.
The Amotekun boss also said unregistered and tinted vehicles without police permits would no longer be allowed to operate within the state.
According to him, six suspects allegedly plotting to cause mayhem in the state during the Yuletide have been arrested by Amotekun operatives for being in possession of locally made guns.
He was reassured of their determination to reduce criminal activities to the barest minimum during the yuletide season, stressing that the corps had commenced 2023/2024 “Ember Border Patrol.”
He said: “The ban on Okada riders from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. remains in force, while vehicles and motorcycles that are not on essential duties are not allowed to ply the streets.
“In the last three weeks, we have recorded about 20 deaths involving Okada riders, while their motorcycles were taken away. We are using this medium to appeal to these men to go home and arrest them if they have worked for 12 hours, so that we can identify criminals more easily.
“It is no longer permitted for vehicles to ply the road without registration numbers, and all vehicles with tinted glass should obtain a police permit.
“Our men would be deployed in all black spots that have been observed in Ondo State, especially Akure. Our patrol vehicles will be on a 24-hour basis throughout this period.”