The chairman of the Okada Riders Association in Ekiti state, Mr Kunle Ashaolu has lamented how unknown gunmen killed about 23 commercial motorcyclists, also known as Okada Riders within the space of three months in the state.
RAYOPOST reports that Ashaolu who stated this while speaking at a security parley held at the Fajuyi Pavilion in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital on Thursday said that the assailants enticed riders with huge payment and killed them to cart away their motorcycles.
According to him, the situation started since February and that the last Okada rider was killed in April, making it 23 within three months.
He attributed the increase in the killing of the riders to the high in the price of new motorcycles, saying the attackers always made away with the motorcycles after killing their victims.
He further revealed that the assailants operates between 10pm and 5am with a promise to the riders of about N3,000 for a drop that should be for N200 to isolated areas and new sites where there were no people to rescue them.
He expressed sadness over the situation and called on the commercial motorcyclists to stop operating beyond 10pm and not start operation until 6am everyday.
Ashaolu commended the efforts of the operatives of the Rapid Response Squad under the leadership of Marcus Ogundola at addressing the situation with regular patrol and arrests across the state capital.
