Primate Elijah Ayodele, the leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, has urged the Lagos State Government to outlaw commercial motorcycle operations, saying the move would help address security threats he believes are building in the state.
The cleric made the call in a video circulated online, where he warned of possible terrorist activity in Lagos. He argued that motorcycles provide an easy means of movement for criminals and should be restricted as part of efforts to strengthen security.
Ayodele also called for action against individuals he described as security risks, including street beggars and cart pushers. He said authorities should adopt tougher measures to prevent attacks and maintain order.
According to him, “Security alert for Lagos State government, ban Okada in all spears of Lagos state. If you don’t ban Okada riders, okada riders will injure Lagos State.
“All these wheelbarrow pushers ban them, ban beggars so that they will not attack Lagos. If they attack Lagos, Nigeria will go in disarray but these are warnings.”
The religious leader further suggested severe penalties for motorcycle riders who violate any future restrictions imposed by the government.
“If they see Okada let them sentence the okada rider to 30 years imprisonment, except if it’s official okada like people carrying parcel….then personal people carrying okada…stop them to jail, that’s how to curtail insecurity in Lagos State.”
Ayodele claimed terrorists are already present in Lagos but are unable to act at the moment. He also predicted that neighbouring Ogun State could face security challenges.
“Terrorists are in Lagos but can’t operate now, you will see that they will start in Ogun State in a big way. There is tension everywhere but it’s how to calm the tension. Ban Okada now because if they want to do anything bad, they do it on Okada as they can’t use a vehicle.”
Ayodele maintained that restricting commercial motorcycle operations would help security agencies monitor movement more effectively and reduce the risk of criminal activity in Lagos and neighbouring states.
Ademide Adebayo
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