The Chairman of the Bike Riders Union and Bike Monitoring Officers (BMO) at Model Parking Ground in Freetown, Alpha Viccent Kamara, has defended the union’s enforcement measures following allegations by some commercial motorbike riders that BMO officials harass and extort money from them.

Speaking to Sierraloaded Reporter, Sahid Bangura, on Thursday, August 6, 2026, Kamara said the BMO is a regulatory body created by the Bike Riders Union to monitor and coordinate the activities of commercial riders across the city. He explained that the union operates through a hierarchical structure that includes district, regional and national leadership, with park chairmen responsible for supervising riders within their respective stations.

“The BMO is a body formed by the Bike Riders Union to monitor and regulate all bike riding affairs, and as a chairman, we are the ones that dispatch the BMO officers to the street for operation,” he said.

Responding to complaints about enforcement operations, Kamara stressed that the use of helmets is mandatory and is being promoted in the interest of riders’ safety. He noted that many deaths and serious injuries have occurred because riders failed to wear helmets, adding that the Sierra Leone Police are also enforcing the same requirement.

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“The helmet is a core protection for every rider. It protects the head from excessive damage during accidents and also helps to keep the head warm,” he said.

Kamara further stated that motorcycles are often impounded when they are not registered with the union. According to him, every commercial rider is expected to register at a designated park so that the union can maintain proper records and provide support to members in cases of accidents or other emergencies.

He said the registration system is also intended to help identify genuine commercial riders and prevent criminals from using motorcycles to commit robberies.

“The union is making all these efforts to ensure we stop some of the dubious acts of people who use bikes for robbing. Those people are not real bike riders; they are thieves,” he said.

On allegations that BMO officials compel riders to pay as much as Le35 for tickets after 12 noon, Kamara said he could not confirm a specific amount. However, he explained that the union previously introduced a stricter penalty for riders found operating without tickets after the midday deadline.

According to him, some riders who described themselves as “Gentle Riders” had refused to join the union or purchase tickets. As a result, the union ordered that any rider caught without a ticket after 12 noon should buy five tickets at Le5 each, amounting to Le25. “This is to urge them to belong to the union,” he said.

Kamara also made a controversial remark about the conduct of commercial riders, describing them as difficult to manage and saying leaders must understand their way of life in order to maintain order.

“Bike riders are rebels and we need to live as rebels,” he said. “If you are a chairman and you are not within the range of how bike riders live, you will not be able to rule them.”

He claimed that many of the complaints against BMO officials arise because some riders do not want to comply with what he described as simple union rules.

Kamara’s comments come amid growing public debate over the conduct of BMO officers and the relationship between the union and commercial motorbike riders in Freetown.