Edo Government Defends Motorcycle Ban in Benin, Cites Rising Security Concerns
...70 cases of child defilement recorded in Edo- Abdallah By Chris Akhabue, Edo The Edo State Government has defended its restriction on motorcycle operations in the Benin metropolis, saying the measure was introduced primarily to address growing security concerns and protect residents. The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Kassim Afegbua, stated this on Thursday while briefing journalists in Benin City. Afegbua explained that intelligence and security reports received by the government had raised concerns over the use of motorcycles, popularly known as Okada, in criminal activities, including kidnapping and robbery. According to him, some criminal elements allegedly use motorcycles to pick up unsuspecting passengers before taking them to isolated locations, where they dispossess them of their valuables. “We are not pretending about it. The reason why this was done was purely for security reasons. The kind of reports we receive daily has become a security conc...