ONE commercial motorcyclist died yesterday in Obalende, Lagos, during a raid by men of the Lagos State Taskforce on Environmental and Special Offences Unit.
The unidentified motorcyclist, according to eyewitnesses, tried to evade arrest and in the process, jumped off the bridge linking Obalende and Falomo end of Lagos Island.
The development, which climaxed two hours of taskforce operation in the area, quickly drew public sympathy to the victim, leading to reprisal attacks on the law enforcement officers.
Obalende hawkers whatever other missiles available at the policemen.
In defense, the taskforce fired canisters of tear-gas to deter the mob. Apparently unrestrained, the mob caught up with the task force officials in Third Mainland Bridge traffic, and injured some of the policemen in the clash.
Chairman of the taskforce and leader of the raid, Superintendent Olubukola Abe, quickly mobilised his men to counter the mob, which saw to the several shots in Obalende, as the assailants were subdued.
For half-an-hour that the crossfire lasted, Obalende was at a standstill as workers heading home after close of work scampered for safety.
The raid, which started at about 3.30 pm led to the arrest of about 20 street hawkers and suspected miscreants blamed for disturbing the peace of the area.
No fewer than 15 motorcycles were also seized during the raid.
An eyewitness told The Guardian that men of the taskforce, in a planned raid on the commercial motorcyclists, ambushed them in the middle of the bridge.
“Many were caught on the bridge, as the police had blocked all exit. This one that died saw that there was no way he could escape the policemen that were closing in on them. He left his okada and jumped down,” the pedestrian said.
Abe had earlier told reporters that the taskforce had impounded over 2000 motorcycles that often ply the restricted routes in Lagos.
