There was apprehension on Tuesday after police officers clashed with motorcycle riders in the Isheri area of Lagos State.

It was learnt that the incident happened at about 8:30 pm while the policemen said to be attached to the Idimu Police Station were attempting to seize motorcycles belonging to the riders.

It was gathered that the motorcycle operators were at their park waiting to pick up passengers when the policemen arrived in a minibus otherwise referred to as ?Korope? and swooped in on them.

The motorcycle riders were however said to have resisted the officers thereby resulting in a clash.

An eyewitness, Olusoji Aina, who spoke to our correspondent on Wednesday, said the windshield of the police minibus was destroyed in the process, adding that the officers also made away with a motorcycle.

He said, ?When the policemen arrived, some riders fled with their motorcycles. The unlucky ones were caught on the spot but refused to let go of their motorcycles. That was how they started to drag with the policemen. They became confrontational and clashed with the policemen. It was during this that some boys who solidarised with the motorcycles broke the windshield of the minibus they came with.?

During a visit to the spot on Wednesday morning, our correspondent saw pieces of the broken windshield littered on the ground.

A motorcycle rider who spoke on the condition of anonymity accused the police of raiding the park regularly.

He said, ?We had been experiencing this long before now. The policemen will come around, and seize our motorcycles. We end up going to the station the following day where they ask us to pay a certain amount of money before releasing them to us. I managed to escape when they arrived yesterday.?

Another rider who identified himself simply as Wasiu said the park where the incident occurred was with a designated route.

?We are still permitted to work around the time they came. Also, we only shuttle between Council and Powerline and this is a designated route. So, we don?t know our offence other than just for them to come at any time and raid our park.?

When contacted, the Divisional Police Officer of Idimu Police Station, Gladys Faniyi, denied knowledge of the incident.

She said, ?I am not aware my men were involved in such an incident. I will find out. Though motorcycle operators are fond of plying non-designated routes. That is why we arrest them.?

Earlier reports said that landlords and residents of the community lamented what they described as the arbitrary arrest and assault on people in the community by men of the police division.

The divisional police officers were also accused of extorting money from motorcycle riders over the failure of their union leaders to remit certain fees to them.

On Friday, December 2, 2022, around 8.25 pm, PUNCH Metro observed as the officers, numbering about 15, stormed the Powerline unit of the motorcycle operators and beat up some of the riders.

The policemen, who arrived in two commercial buses, were also seen assaulting traders and passengers who attempted to intervene, as they made away with six motorcycles. (The PUNCH)

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