FCTA crushes 601 impounded motorcycles

• …insists on enforcing restrictions

Stories by  Stanley  Onyekwere

In furtherance to its reinvigorated effort  at sanitising Abuja,  the Federal Capital Territory Administration ( FCTA) has crushed 601 motorcycles impounded for allegedly violating operational restrictions in the city.

Also, FCTA insisted that it has a law backing it’s enforcement against offending operators.

Supervising the crushing of the motor bikes yesterday, the Mandate Secretary, Transportation Secretariat, FCTA, Dr. Chinedum Elechi, noted that the Secretariat has an extant regulations which enables the ongoing enforcement, impounding and crushing of motorcycles from operators who refuse to obey the laws.

Elechi insisted that the restrictions and ban placed on operations of commercial motorcycles about 45 locations within Abuja, still subsist and the ongoing enforcement will be sustained.

He said: “As we speak we are acting under the regulation of the FCT. The most recent regulation,  is the law on this subject matter, and  is that of 1st of January 2023.

“ It was signed into into law by the immediate past administration of Mohammed Bello as FCT minister. So it’s a law,  if you use your motorbike in particular areas it’s against the law.”

The Director, Directorate of Road Traffic Services ( DRTs) Dr. Abdulateef  Bello,  confirmed that the crushing of the 601 motorcycles, was the first exercise for this year, and would be sustained as deterrent to the operators.

Bello noted that the ban and restrictions placed on some locations within the Federal Capital City since 2006 was meant to sanitize the town and reduce the rate of criminalities.

According to him: “This exercise has been our usual routine to support the ban, the existing ban on the use of commercial motorcycles in the federal capital city. You will recall that the ban was initiated in 2006.

“The idea then was that we should be able to control and curtail their traffic abuses in the federal capital city.

“But as it is today, it’s becoming more of a security threat,  you know commercial motorcycles have been used to facilitate crime and criminality in the federal capital city.

“ So we are again using this medium to send messages to those who are still investing in this line of business to think twice because we will continue to push”.

Also speaking, the Assistant Commissioner of Police, in Charge of Operation in FCT Command, AC Mode Magawata said the police and other security agencies have been committed to the enforcement because of the crimes being perpetrated by some of the operators.

Magatawa disclosed that the enforcement has helped in checking the wave of crimes in Abuja.