Lagos Okada ban to be challenged in court on Dec 15
By Emmanuel Awosika
A lawyer, Juliu Ajibulu, has filed a suit before the Federal High in Court challenging the Lagos State Government ban on motorcycles and tricycles.
Ajibulu, who filed the suit before Justice Chuka Obiozor, said the bad had caused extreme hardship on Lagos residents and robbed motorcycle and tricycle operators of their livelihood.
He alleged that the ban had led to increased unemployment and a rise in criminal activity in the state.
He also stressed that the ban deprived him of his rights according to sections 33, 34, 36, 38, 41, and 42 of the Nigerian Constitution.
He prayed the Court to order “the immediate resumption of commercial operations and activities of tricycles (Keke NAPEP/ Marwa) and motorcycles (okada) of 50cc-200cc capacity engine on the above-stated highways and expressways through the aforesaid bridges in the above 15 local government and local development council areas of Lagos State.”
The Federal High Court of Lagos has fixed December 15, 2020 to hear Mr Ajibulu’s suit.
This is not the only suit against the Lagos ban on commercial motorcycles and tricycles, called okada and Keke NAPEP respectively.
A lawyer, Olukoya Ogungbeje, filed a suit before Justice Muhammed Liman of the the Federal High Court in Lagos, asking for a reversal of the van order.
Ogungbeje is praying the court to declare “the forceful impounding, seizure or confiscation of motorcycles and tricycles by agents of the Lagos State Government amounted to an infringement on the rights of residents to own property under sections 43 and 44 of the Constitution.”
