There was chaos along the Lagos-Badagry expressway Thursday morning after motorcycle taxi operators (okada riders) blocked the highway.
They did so ostensibly in protest against the seizure of their motorcycles and the phased ban of okada operations in Lagos, beginning with six local government areas and all highways on 1 June.
The blockage caused commuters to walk several kilometres to their destinations.
The okada riders clashed with police officers who came to disperse them, and gunshots were heard along the usually busy highway.
Bonfires were lit on the highway and a witness uploaded online showed a team of police officers shooting at approaching okada riders who as they threw rocks and sticks at the police.
Police were later able to maintain the peace after seizing truckloads of motorcycles.
Phased Ban on Okada
On Wednesday, the Lagos State government announced the reintroduction of a ban on motorcycle taxis in six Local Government Areas from 1 June.
But an existing restriction on the Lagos-Badagry expressway which dates to nearly a decade ago has never been enforced.
Last year, hundreds of motorcycles were seized during a sting operation at Mile 2 which is a major hub along the expressway.
But in days the defiant riders were back, plying their trade along the route.
The latest ban follows the lynching of a sound engineer in the Lekki area by okada riders last week.
