Karu ‘okada’ riders deplore robbery attacks

Commercial motorcyclists, popularly known as “okada riders”, operating in Karu Site of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have decried incessant attacks on them by suspected robbers.

The riders told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday that their members had been attacked many times in the last few months and their motorcycles and other valuables taken away.

One of them, Rilwan Adamu, said the attacks had become a daily affair, adding that in some instances, the attackers drugged their victims.

Adamu said their association reported some of the cases to the police but that there was no action and that the incidents had continued unabated.

He said some of his colleagues had relocated to other parts of the FCT and Mararaba in Nasarawa State to avoid the ordeal.

Another motorcyclist, Salisu Mohammed, who was attacked twice, said his motorcycle and valuables were taken away by the thieves after they sprinkled a powdery substance into his eyes.

“I was unconscious and left on the ground before some good Samaritans took me to my house in Mararaba with the help of my membership identification card,” he said.

Another motorcyclist, Danboyi Daniel, said operating a motorcycle around Karu had become scary as “one does not know when the unexpected will happen.”

Narrating his ordeal, he told NAN that he was once attacked at about 07:00pm but that he was lucky to escape with the help of some passers-by. (NAN)