SOME commercial motorcyclists popularly known as Okada riders in Osun State, are doing more than carrying passengers from one place to another.
Their operations, according to findings by OSUN DEFENDER, have gone beyond the legal commercial activities to serving as middle men between illicit drug dealers and users in some parts of the State.
Findings have revealed that some Okada riders in the state are distributors of illicit drugs engaged by the drug dealers.
Investigations have also indicated that the Okada riders have become syndicate and are recruiting unemployed youths into the drug distribution business.
OSUN DEFENDER learnt that illicit drug users now order their preferred drugs online while the Okada riders to do the delivery for them.
After the order, the Okada riders would meet the drug dealer at a club or on an expressway where he would collect the drugs for onward delivery to the consumers.
The illicit drug users, according to investigations, also usually received the drugs at hotels and beer parlour joints.
Among the drugs the compromised motorcyclists distribute are colorado, tramadol, molly, codin, methamphetamine and other illicit drugs.
According to sources among the motorcyclists, those serving as agents for the illicit drug dealers and users make a minimum of N10,000 profit per day and an average of N50,000 in a week.
The operations of the compromised Okada riders covered Osogbo, Ede, Iree, Offa (Kwara State) and Ile-Ife, according to the sources.
OSUN DEFENDER also gathered that the compromised Okada riders do carry unsuspecting passengers going along their route to disguise and have safe riding to their destinations.
A commercial motorcyclist who does not want his name in print told OSUN DEFENDER that he was contacted for the illegal business but he declined the offer for the fear of being caught by security agents.
The Okada rider disclosed that he first considered the offer because of the money involved but he later turned it down after being warned by one of his relatives.
He said: One of my friends, who is also an Okada rider, contacted me three weeks ago to introduce me to the business of distributing drugs for the drug dealers. He told me they needed more bike men to join the business. But I seek the opinion of a relative who warned me not to be involved because of the consequence.
The relative told me he has a brother who is currently serving jail term because he was caught distributing illicit drugs. That was why I declined. The friend who called me has been in the business since January this year.
He told me he carried a drug dealer who is a female as passenger. From there, the lady asked him to help in distributing drugs and he accepted the offer. The guy usually waits for the lady at a popular club around Dele Yes Sir, Osogbo to take drugs for delivery to her customers.
The contacts of the people who ordered the drugs online will be given to him to deliver. I once followed him when his bike had fault. We went to different hotels and locations in Osogbo and Ede. But I cant do the business; I am afraid.
Meanwhile, the Spokesperson of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Osun Command, Charles Odigie in a telephone interview with OSUN DEFENDER noted that the commercial motorcyclists are the major problem in the fight against illicit drugs in Osun State.
Odigie decried the rate some commercial motorcyclists serve as middle men for the dealers and consumers.
He said drug dealers are so smart that they use the Okada riders as a shield to avoid arrest by NDLEA or other security agencies.
Odigie said: The drug dealers are very smart. They dont want to have direct contact in their dealings. They are always skeptical and afraid that we can set them up.
What they do is to use the bike man as a shield. They send them to pick up drugs from motor parks and also to deliver to consumers. We dont usually get to arrest the main dealer because they have informants working for them.
We will only appeal to Osun people to give us information. We can only work on intelligent reports. However, NDLEA Osun Command is working round the clock to make the state hot for those involve in such business. We have made several successes in that regard recently.
OSUN DEFENDER had in its July 14, 2023 edition reported that some factors responsible for prevalence of illicit drug and substance consumption in the state were the increasing hospitality business.
The advent of night clubs, lounge and beer parlours is major contributor to rising drug abuse cases.
Also, the establishment of tertiary institution (both public and private) with large student population is part of the reasons why drug abuse is prevalent in the state.
Yusuf Oketola is a trained journalist with over five years of experience in the media industry. He has worked for both print and online medium. He is a thorough-bred professional with an eye of hindsight on issues bothering on social justice, purposeful leadership, and a society where the leaders charge and work for the prosperity of the people.
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