The cause of the crisis and violence that broke out on Monday 7th June 2010 was the stiff resistance put up by the commercial motorcycle operators (popularly known as Okada) against the bid to enforce the law earlier promulgated by the state government banning the use of motorcycles for commercial passenger movements.
The combined team of the Police and the Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIO) attempted to enforce this new law, precipitating the violence. The operators accused the government of deliberately taking away their means of livelihood adding that they were not carried along in the decision making process.
Resistance to enforcement degenerated into the riot, leaving a trail of vandalized vehicles, buildings and an unconfirmed number of causalities as people ran for their lives, forcing the abrupt closure of businesses.
Calm has however been restored with the intervention of the military Special Task Force (STF).
Jos has in recent times been a hotbed of revolving ethnic conflicts between the Hausa/Fulani and the indigenous populations...
From Next Newspapers@
Confusion over the ban on commercial cyclists, popularly known as ‘Okada', created much tension in Jos on Monday, as the Plateau State government began the enforcement exercise.
Sporadic gun shots had rented the air, especially in the state capital, the Ahmadu Bello Way, and most parts of Jos North as the enforcing team, including the Police, FRSC, VIOs, and NSCDC personnel, engaged the commercial motorcyclists in physical combat.
People ran for dare lives, some banks and business outfits hurriedly closed shop, and many cars had their windscreens smashed by the motorcyclists, who were protesting the confiscation of their motorcycles.
The operators, in their hundreds, had turned out to work, in defiance of warnings and threats by the state government on the need to ensure the deadline issued for their operation, and reportedly met before resuming work, in an apparent readiness for a showdown with the implementation Task Force.
The development threw the relatively calm city into another round of tension as the ‘Okada' operators engaged the law enforcement agents in a free-for-all, in spite of the gun shots warning fired to scare them away.
Inside Jos city and the environs, NAN observed that parents were rushing to pick their children from schools, while others were scampering into all directions for safety.
Mohammed Lerama, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Plateau Police Command, was not available to give useful comments, but the Army Public Relations Officer, 3 Armoured Division, Jos, Shekari, said that "the army is not aware of the new development. We were neither contacted nor involved in the enforcement of the ban," he said.
The Media Officer of the military Special Task Force (STF) on Jos crisis, Kingsley Umoh, also told journalists that the military was not involved.
"But I am sure that the police are capable of enforcing the ban," he said.
Mr. Umoh, however, said the Army "will watch the situation and we will respond appropriately if there is breakdown of law and order.
"I am sure you know that Okada is a very popular means of transportation, so you should expect some tension when you are trying to enforce that ban. But I know we will get over it," he said.
FRSC Sector Commander for Plateau, Samuel Odukoya, said that the ban was being enforced because the state government had signed the bill into law.
Mr. Odukoya added that the ban would have been enforced long time ago but for the intervention by some stakeholders that the Okada riders be given some time.
The Commander did not disclose how many operators had been arrested, but said that they would be charged to court as soon as possible.
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