…destroys over 600 motorcycles
By Sarah NEGEDU
The Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, has intensified its clampdown on commercial motorcyclists operating illegally within Abuja, with the crushing of 601 impounded motorcycles.
Mandate Secretary of the FCTA Transportation Secretariat, Dr. Chinedum Elechi, who supervised the crushing exercise, issued a stern warning to defaulters, stressing that the administration will not back down on this drive as its acting within the law.
“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 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,” he said.
Elechi noted that there are over 45 locations within the Federal Capital City where commercial motorcycle operations remain prohibited, adding that the ongoing enforcement will not be relaxed.
The Director, Directorate of Road Traffic Services, DRTS, Dr. Abdullateef Bello, said the latest exercise marks the first for 2025, and will be carried out periodically to serve as a deterrent.
“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,” he said.
“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,” Bello added.
Also speaking, the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations, FCT Command, AC Mode Magawata, said security agencies remain committed to the enforcement, citing its role in combating crime in the city.
“The police and other security agencies have been committed to the enforcement because of the crimes being perpetrated by some of the operators,” Magawata said. “The enforcement has helped in checking the wave of crimes in Abuja.”
The FCTA says its efforts are not only about traffic regulation, but also a broader strategy to rid the city of criminal threats often linked to unregulated okada operations.
