Sapele Residents, Lawyers, Activists Seek DSS Involvement in Okada Riders’ Profiling

By Endurance Ikanone

The recent decision by the Sapele Local Government Council to profile commercial motorcycle riders, popularly known as Okada riders, has continued to raise strong concerns among residents, lawyers and rights activists in the area, with many insisting that the Department of State Services (DSS) should take over in full or be fully involved in the exercise for proper intelligence gathering and security coordination.

The reactions followed reports that the profiling exercise introduced as part of the conditions for the resumption of motorcycle operations in Sapele is allegedly being coordinated by the local government council instead of the DSS and other recognized security agencies.

Recall that after public complaints and transportation difficulties caused by the restriction placed on commercial motorcycles within Sapele Local Government Area, the Council Chairman, Hon. Bright Abeke, reportedly relaxed parts of the enforcement and allowed Okada riders to resume operations under specific conditions.

Among the conditions announced were that no motorcycle rider would be allowed to operate from Amukpe to Ajogodo or from Ajogodo to Amukpe.

Riders were also restricted from operating along the straight New Road axis from Total Filling Station to Texaco and from Texaco back to Total.

In addition to the route restrictions, riders and owners of motorcycles were directed to undergo profiling for security reasons, especially to help authorities identify operators whenever crimes are committed using motorcycles within the area.

However, the decision to allegedly allow the local government council directly supervise the profiling process has now generated fresh debate across Sapele.

Human rights activist, Comrade Felix Edewor, while reacting to the development, said there was nothing wrong with introducing security measures aimed at tackling crime, but maintained that intelligence gathering and security profiling should remain the responsibility of professional security agencies like the DSS.

“The issue is not whether riders should be profiled or not. Security is everybody’s concern. But profiling for intelligence purposes should be handled by trained security professionals. The DSS understands intelligence gathering better than political office holders or council officials,” he said.

Also speaking, legal practitioner, Barrister Efe Akpofure, noted that profiling individuals involves the collection of sensitive personal information and security data, which requires professionalism, confidentiality and legal caution.

“If the purpose is truly security and proper intelligence gathering, then the DSS should take the lead. The council can support the process administratively, but the actual profiling and documentation should be handled by security agencies with intelligence experience,” the lawyer stated.

A resident of Ajogodo, Mr. Emmanuel Eyitemi, also expressed concern over the arrangement, saying many residents would feel more comfortable if the DSS officially handled the exercise.

“People will have more confidence if the DSS is directly involved because they are trained for security work. If motorcycles are now considered a security concern, then security agencies should naturally coordinate the profiling,” he said.

Some residents also argued that allowing security agencies to handle the exercise would help prevent possible abuse, political interference or misuse of personal information gathered from riders.

Many residents within Sapele noted that the restrictions placed on major routes such as Amukpe to Ajogodo and the New Road axis may have been introduced as part of wider efforts by the local government authority to improve security and control motorcycle movement within strategic parts of the town.

However, many stakeholders insist that while the security objective may be understandable, the process must remain professional, transparent and properly coordinated by the appropriate security authorities.

They argued further that involving the DSS would strengthen public trust, improve intelligence gathering and ensure that information collected from riders is properly secured and used strictly for security purposes.

Meanwhile, the residents are appealing to Hon. Bright Abeke to formally collaborate with the DSS, Police and other security agencies in restructuring the profiling process in order to avoid further controversy and public suspicion.

As discussions continue across Sapele, many residents maintain that the matter is no longer just about Okada operations, but about ensuring that sensitive security responsibilities are handled by trained intelligence agencies capable of professionally managing public security information.