04/07/2025
To the best of my knowledge, motorcycles - popularly called Okada - were banned in Onitsha by the Anambra State government because of security reasons. That ban didn’t end crime completely, but truth be told, it reduced it.
Since then, we believe that only those in military or paramilitary like the police, army, civil defence, were allowed to use motorcycles. So, naturally, anyone you saw on a bike in Onitsha was assumed to be part of a security agency or an official dispatch rider.
But in recent times, motorcycles have quietly crept back into our streets. And just like that, we’ve forgotten the danger we once knew. Nobody is asking questions anymore.
Some days ago, someone who lives in 33 told me he was robbed by men on a motorcycle. They attacked swiftly and disappeared into thin air. He also shared how a pastor saw two men on a motorbike and assumed they were policemen, only for them to ambush and rob him too.
You see, when people start falling victim again and nothing is said, nothing is done, the system starts to rot silently.
The government may have made the law, but they have also relaxed. And if security operatives are the only ones allowed to use motorcycles, then let there be a uniform or visible means of identification. Because right now, strange figures are wearing that false image to strike, and innocent people are paying the price.
I’m putting this out publicly, hoping the relevant authorities will act fast. We don’t need another wave of fear and bloodshed before we respond. This is Onitsha we’re talking about. We’ve been here before. Let’s not go back there.
©️ Ozii Aneto
