The Osun State Police Command has urged motorcyclists to be cautious of the passengers they lift as the rate of robbery attacks and snatchings of motorcycles increases in the state, News About Nigeria reports.
The command’s spokesperson, SP Yemisi Opalola, said that in a statement on Monday in Osogbo, the state capital.
She noted that criminals now pose as passengers to rob cyclists of their motorcycles.
Opalola explained that the modus operandi of the criminals involve hailing commercial motorcyclists and luring them to isolated areas late at night where they are forcefully dispossessed of their motorbikes, adding that they are often offered enticing fares that they cannot refuse.
She added that the attacks oftentimes leave the motorcycle owners injured or killed.
“The police command is using this medium to caution motorcyclists, especially the commercial ones (Okada), to be cautious of passenger(s) they carry or who employ their services.
“The modus operandi of the criminals involve hailing commercial motorcyclists and luring them to isolated areas late at night where they are forcefully dispossessed of their motorbikes.
”The unsuspecting riders are often offered enticing fares that they cannot refuse.
“These attacks, in some cases, have left the motorcyclists severely injured or even killed,” she stated.
She further disclosed that CP Mohammed Abba enjoined the leadership of the Okada Riders Association in the state to continually sensitise its members in order to avoid being victims of this trending crime, advising them to report any suspicious passenger(s) and their activities to the nearest police station.
She added that the command is committed to ensuring the safety and security of all residents and visitors to the state, maintaining that the command is working tirelessly to apprehend and prosecute those involved in these heinous crimes.
