CALM RESTORED TO SAPELE AS COUNCIL BOSS TACKLES SECURITY CHALLENGES

“The Honourable Chairman is greatly, taking into considerations, the implications and accompanying hardships the total ban on the activities of commercial Okada will bring on the lives of the citizens who make their earnings and means of livelihood through this” ...... Comrade Malcolm Tagbara

Residents of Sapele, in Sapele Local Government Council, one of the ancient towns in Delta state which had been enveloped in tension following an increase in the numbers of crimes resulting to deaths, is now heaving a huge sigh of relief following efforts of the Council chairman to restore normalcy to the community.

 
Findings by NAIJ NEWS ALERT reveal that the increasing number of deaths arising from attacks by criminal elements leading to loss of lives of residents in the town were becoming a huge cause for concern to the Chairman of the Sapele Local Government Council, Mr. Eugene Inoaghan.

And, to tackle the incidences head-on, the Council, through the chairman had pronounced a ban in the use of commercial motorcycles within the specified period of 7pm-6am within the jurisdiction of the council.

However, the ban on the activities of commercial operators of motorcycles, popularly called ‘Okada”, on all roads, earlier did not gone down well with operators of commercial okada with many commercial Okada operators querying the rationale behind their ban.

NNA sources in Sapele scooped that that the ban was to stop the increasing spate of killings and snatching of motorcycles in the town but did not however state if security, military and para military personnel were also affected by the ban imposed by the Council boss.

Sources at the Council headquarters in Sapele who spoke with NAIJ NEWS ALERT disclosed that the rate at which attacks on Okada operatives at night was increasing, compelled the Council boss to take such an action as it has also resulted in deaths while petty crimes such as “bag snatching” by criminal elements on okada, had become alarming.

Speaking with Malcolm Tagbara, Chief Press Secretary to the Council boss on phone, he disclosed that the Council, through the Chairman, Chief Eugene Inoaghan has commenced plans to gradually phase out of the activities of commercial Okada operations in the town but that “the Honourable Chairman is greatly, taking into considerations, the implications and accompanying hardships it will bring on the lives of the citizens who make their earnings and means of livelihood through this”.

Comrade Tagbara further revealed that there are already, plans have commenced to introduce other means of transportation such as the Tricycle, otherwise known as Keke Napep, to replace the activities of commercial okada which are most times involved in accidents and have become the major target by criminal elements in perpetuating crime.

“Some operators of Okada have been indicted in the reported cases of crime in the city and these elements will not easily commit these acts using Keke Napep as they can easily be apprehended by security operatives”.

“Keke Napep operations have already commenced in areas which were earlier identified to have challenges of transportation and gradually, it will spread to other areas of the town”.

“The Chairman is very considerate in all of these and this formed his decision, alongside the council executives, that the whole process of eliminating the use of okada will take a gradual process so that the economic well being of the citizens, especially those who use okada as a means of survival does not end abruptly”.

“As for now, things have stabilized and commercial Okada riders operate during the daytime except as nights when the ban is still in place.

Asked to comment on the possibility of registering all Okada Operators within the Council’s jurisdiction and putting them into groups and unions, Tagbaara said: “that had since been in place but they the operators have not concluded their plans. They started the registration of their members immediately the ban was enforced. Since I am not directly involved, I may not be able to tell exactly how far they have gone. But, I can say that, during that period of the introduction of the ban, the Hausa communities in the city, numbering about seven in all, have since put in place, their own executives and organized themselves into various groups with their different excos. Nasarrawa, Kano and others, have their own different executives but I want to believe that they will all eventually come under one umbrella for effective management and control, so as to work in unity.

He appreciated the support of the general public for their understanding and also, adhering to the ban which, in the long term, is for the best interest of all citizens of Sapele.

A source who pleaded for anonymity, however, indicted some of the Hausa youths especially those from Nasarawa state as responsible for the unruly acts perpetrated by some of the commercial Okada operatives in the council.

The source noted that every other community, especially those from the north pointed accusing fingers to Nasarawa boys as they remained unorganized unlike their counterparts from Kano and Zamfara states.