Chief Superintendent Oduro Amaning, Tema Regional Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTU) Commander, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency said his outfit would descend heavily on okada operators in the Region especially those operating in the Ashaiman Municipality.

Chief Superintendent Amaning reminded the public that the Road Traffic Act 2012 LI 21800 section 128 prohibited the use of motorcycle for commercial purposes.

He also cautioned police officers against patronizing the services of commercial motorcycle operators as any officer caught in the act would not be spared prosecution.

He indicated that while his outfit had been able to stop okada activities within the Tema Metropolis but the Ashaiman Municipality needed to employ some strategies to permanently end their operations.

Over the years, the okada business in the Ashaiman Municipality has expanded with operators creating stations at traffic junctions in the full glare of law enforcement officers.

Several attempts by the Police including arrest and seizure of motorcycles to end their operations in the past have yielded no positive result as they always returned to the streets some few days after arrest.

Meanwhile, some Okada riders in Ashaiman told the Ghana News Agency that their operations help residents to reach their workplaces on time avoiding the heavy traffic in the Municipality.

Mr Joseph Amgle, an Okada rider, said he had been in the business for the past three years now and had never regretted adding that it served passengers better.

Mr Amgle rather called on the government to amend the laws to support their business as a measure of reducing unemployment among the youth in Ghana.

Some pillion riders also commended the Okada business and said their operations made movements swift and less expensive as compared to the services of taxis.

They however called on the Police to arrest recalcitrant riders who violated traffic laws and engaged in robbery and other criminal activities.