Niger State bans sale of Okada

The Niger state government has ordered the immediate ban on sales of some categories of motorcycles across the state.

Ahmed Matane, Secretary to the State Government (SSG), announced this in a statement issued in Minna on Saturday.

Matane said the ban covers motorcycles such as Bajaj Boxer, Qiujeng, Honda ACE, Jingchen, with engine capacity of 185 Cubic Centimetres ( CC) and above.

He explained that the measure was aimed at stopping the activities of bandits, kidnappers and other criminals unleashing terror on innocent citizens of the state.

The SGF said the government had condemned in strong terms, the degree of the carnage caused by bandits and kidnappers in the state, restating the commitment of the Bello-led administration to confronting the threat.

“Government is aware of the inconveniences the measure would cause the people, but the decision was taken in the overall interest of the state.

“We appeal to dealers of motorcycles across the state to cooperate with the directive,” he said.