Gov’t confiscates 27 motorcycles along Airport Road

By Stanley Onyekwere

In furtherance to its efforts toward  restoring order on Abuja roads, especially the airport road, the FCT Administration yesterday raided and impounded no fewer than 27 motorcycles. 

The motorcycles were caught and seized while plying the Airport road stretch, for various offences ranging from driving against the traffic, to riding on the busy express road, during a massive cleanup of the road corridor.

The cleanup exercise, which involved all  relevant agencies in Abuja, started from Karamajiji end of the corridors of the Airport road.

Briefing journalists at the scene, Director, Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS), Dr. Abdulateef Bello, noted that the administration  is not trying to put hardship on anybody,  but the administration is more concern about the safety and security of residents. 

“Riding against traffic, riding on the highway is anti safety and the fact that we know everyone is trying to put food of their table they should obey the rules and regulations of the land.

“We have done a lot of engagement building social trust, with the okada riders so that they will be law abiding but as at today there are some stubborn riders that are not willing to comply with our directives. 

“So today we have over 27 motor cycles that were seized, and they will pass through normal forfeiture, and they will be put for crushing”, he stressed.

Also speaking, Senior Special Assistant to FCT Minister on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement, Comrade Ikharo Attah said there is no going back on the ckeanup operation, which would last one month.

According to Attah: “Right now is the extremely massive cleanup of airport road here. Starting from the traffic here, seizures of motor cycle, pin down points. 

“We removed illegal structures, shanties, batchers, especially those that built shops under the high tension cables. We touched so many communities here, we did so many cleanups here in view of the directive of FCT Minister. 

“We are working on the entire airport road stretch. So much work will be going on here in the next one month, we will be working on the airport road, keeping it clean and ensure free flow of traffic at the stretch.

“You know airport road stretch is the gateway to the city. We came here last week some have tried to return, the market we sacked last week but we have sacked them again and we will continue to come back here again and again. 

“We won’t get tired the determination is very strong, we will keep working again and again, until we get rid of every environmental abnormalities.

“Two markets were sacked before and one came back and we ransacked it again today and on Tuesday we are going to do more cleanups along the Airport road”.