By Stanley Onyekwere
The FCT Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS) yesterday impounded no fewer than 50 vehicles (24 motorcycles and 26 cars) over alleged illegal operations, and indiscriminate parking and conversion from private vehicles for commercial purposes in Abuja, the nation’s capital city.
In particular, DRTS officials backed by a joint security personnel stormed and raided the bridge at Bannex junction through Bannex Plaza and Orji Uzo-Kalu House, in the city centre.
Also, the team raided and confiscated motorcycles and cars around Lugbe and Gosa axis of the Airport road, Logoma roundabout and Jabi-Airport road, which were taken to DRTS office, waiting further action.
Speaking with newsmen, Deputy Director, DRTS Operations, Dele Yaro, who led the exercise, said there seems to be some level of compliance by Okada operators, given the low number of motorcycles impounded.
He said: “By what happened today, it is likely that there is some level of compliance, as the number of motorcycles arrested today are not as much as those arrested the previous day.
“Yesterday (Wednesday), we caught 60 motorcycles, for riding against traffic and disobeying the policy of the FCTA on their operations.
“We did not focused only on motorcycles today, but equally on vehicles operating illegally and parking indiscriminately on the road, to thereby causing traffic jam along the Airport road, as the axis needs to be free and clean at all time”.
He noted that the Directorate would ensure that there high compliance on the road usage.
According to him, “It is an everyday affair. This week, we started we started with operations for three days, and next week, we have to embark on it again, to make sure that we sustain the operation as they must obey the transport policy”.
Similarly, Adamu Shehu Maiwada, Head, DRTS Taskforce, while disclosing that the operatives are facing a lot of challenges on the field, as they are constantly being attacked by motorists and motorcyclists.
Maiwada decried that often than not, some of their men end up in hospitals, after attack during enforcement exercise.
He recalled that last year, the Directorate crushed about 1,500 confiscated motorcycles while 1,700 were crushed this year, following a forfeiture order.
He revealed that currently there are 500 motorcycles that we confiscated during recent operations, nothing will be relaxed to anybody, as they will be crushed also, as soon as we obtain a forfeiture. We will never get tired as it is our job, and we continue doing it.
On his part, Head, Public Relations of DRTS, Kalu Emetu, noted that there is nothing good as obeying the established rules and regulations, especially in a city described as a city of law, so people must obey the laws including the traffic rules, as the law will always take its course.
He therefore advised transport operators to always maintain the areas that they are allowed to operate in, within the FCT.
