There was tension in the Zone 4 of the Lekki Peninsular Scheme 1 in Lagos State recently when no fewer than 50 motorcyclists protesting the ban on their operations stormed the area with weapons and injured four environmental guards and beat two of them to a pulp. The battered guards were identified as Yusuf Adamu, Brown Robertson, Frank Onwudinjo and Caleb Onemine. It was gathered that the motorcyclists, who were identified as Goza boys from Bornu State, protested against the actions of the Lekki Residents’ Association and its security outfit, as the enforcement of the ban had rendered them jobless. While enforcing the ban, it was learnt that the Chairman, Lekki Residents’ Association, and his executive, partnered the Eti-Osa Local Government Council and the police to rid the community of motorcyclists, who allegedly had been committing all sorts of atrocities and sending shivers down the spine of the residents. To make the clampdown effective, the guards were said to have participated in raiding the hideouts of miscreants dealing in illicit drugs and arrested some suspects, including porters and hawkers, whose operations were also banned in the area. The arrested suspects were reportedly handed to policemen attached to the Maroko Police Division. Angered by the clampdown on their operations in the community, the motorcyclists reportedly regrouped, armed themselves with weapons and attacked some of the security guards, two of who were allegedly dealt matchete blows till they lost consciousness. Reacting to the incident, Otitoju said residents of the estate did not want motorcyclists in the area, adding that most of those who patronise them were not residents in Lekki Phase 1. He stated that immediately the state government banned motorcyclists’ operations in the state, the association acted to put an end to the motorcyclists’ operations, because it had been empowered by law, adding that the attack was a revenge mission to kill those, who were preventing their operations. Otitoju said over 1,500 motorcyclists were operating daily in the estate and they were dangerous and daring. They were made up of retired police and military personnel as well as Hausa/Fulani boys. But one week after the state government banned their operations, they were reduced to 150 and later 50. The residents do not want them, because they are mostly patronised by artisans and visitors, who don’t live here. “As regards the attack, it was a revenge mission that brought the militant motorcyclists into Lekki to attack some of our security personnel in the line of duty in the Zone 4 area. They intended to kill, all the Divisional Police Officers under the Area ‘J’ Command and the Area Commander commanded the DPO to reinforce the Maroko Police Station and move around Lekki in a show of force. “Eighteen motorcyclists were arrested during the operation and 24 motorcycles were impounded. This was in addition to the arrest made by the DPO, Maroko Division. We have compiled all the undeveloped plots where these people hibernate so that raids can be carried out on those locations. The state Police Public Relations Officer said “From what we gathered so far, the motorcyclists were angry with the security guards, because they supported the police in enforcing the ban on motorcycle operations in that vicinity. “In the spirit of community policing, policemen work closely with private security guards in areas and the support we got from them helped in stopping the activities of motorcyclists there and that angered the motorcyclists and they came to attack some of the guards. “But we responded swiftly, arrested 14 suspects and impounded 26 motorcycles used during the operation. The suspects will be charged. We have increased police presence in the area.”