By Sarah NEGEDU
No fewer than 700 vehicles with tinted glasses without permits, fake number plates and other infractions have been impounded by the Federal Capital Territory Administration in its ongoing clampdown on criminally-inclined motorists.
The operation, carried out under the second phase of Operation Sweep Abuja Clean, is aimed at tackling the menace of “one chance” robberies across the city and satellite towns.
Director of Security Services in the FCTA, Adamu Gwary, said the enforcement was backed by intelligence reports which linked most “one chance” attacks to vehicles with illegal tints or forged registration details.
The director who was represented by the Secretary, Command and Control, Dr. Peter Olumuji, said the operations had help reduce cases of one chance in the territory.
Speaking during a night stop-and-search operation at Apo-Wassa and Karu, Olumuji said, “As at now in Operation Sweep, we have impounded over 700 vehicles from both the first and second phases. The operation has drastically reduced the incidences of one chance to the barest minimum. Our stop-and-search exercise has made it clear to criminals that no matter where they are in the FCT, the team will always reach them.”
He disclosed that seven stolen vehicles had also been recovered in the past week, assuring residents that the clampdown was already yielding results.
Olumuji warned that commercial drivers have no justification for using tinted glasses, noting that most victims of “one chance” reported boarding such vehicles.
On her part, Head of Operations at the Directorate of Road Traffic Services, Deborah Osho, said several unpainted taxis and vehicles with fake number plates were also impounded during the joint operation.
“Most of the one-chance vehicles either have fake number plates not traceable to the actual vehicles, or operate as unpainted taxis, making it difficult to identify them. Today in Karu, you can see the huge number of vehicles apprehended. This is sending a clear message that Abuja is too hot for criminals,” she said.
The officials appealed to residents to bear with temporary inconveniences, stressing that Operation Sweep would continue until sanity is restored on Abuja roads.
