No fewer than 100 motorcyclists on Sunday reportedly invaded Same Global Estate in the Lokogoma area of Abuja to avenge the death of two of their colleagues, who were hit by a motorist.
Residents confirmed to our correspondent that the Okada riders attacked the estate in a bid to apprehend the motorist.
The Estate Manager, Mr Adebisi Adelowo, said, “Over 100 Hausa bike riders attacked our estate some hours ago. They tried to burn down the estate by putting fire to two buildings. They pulled down our gate and started stoning people’s houses. We couldn’t stop them until the police and the Army intervened.
“We later learned that they attacked our estate because two of their colleagues were knocked down by a motorist who ran to our estate for safety as he was being chased with big stones and other weapons. The motorist, who is not even a resident of our estate, ran into the estate because he noticed a police post in front of the estate.”
Some residents told our correspondent that it was the third time that such an incident would happen in the community.
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A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “I guess the reason they usually attack our estate is that we have a police signpost in front of our gate.
“We hope that the government will ban commercial bike riding in Abuja as it was done in Lagos State.”
One of the military officers on the estate told our correspondent that the Okada riders could have killed another female motorist, who was driving through the road during the chaos.
He said, “But for the intervention of our gallant officers, the bike riders would have killed a woman that was driving through the road at the time of the attack. We had to intervene and send them away.”
The Commissioner of Police, Federal Capital Territory Command, Babaji Sunday, who later showed up at the scene of the incident, told our correspondent that such actions by motorcyclists across the country, particularly in the FCT, were becoming worrisome.
“However, we are working hard to curb such incidents in Abuja as the safety of citizens and residents is our priority,” he added.
The FCT Police Public Relations Officers, Josephine Adeh, assured residents of their safety, adding that order had been restored to the estate.
