By Sarah NEGEDU
The Federal Capital Territory Administration has said it is considering arresting and prosecuting passengers of commercial motorcycles, to discourage the activities of operators in the FCT.
This is as the administration said it it is deepening its operation in riding the city of the menace of commercial motorcycle riders.
A joint taskforce, on Thursday, crushed over 470 motorcycles that were impounded for operating along restricted areas in the Federal Capital City and other satellite towns feeding the city center.
The operation which lasted two weeks, saw security personnel from the Nigerian Police, DSS, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Directorate of Road Traffic Services, and the men of the AEPB, impound motorcycles operating in the FCC, Lugbe and Kubwa.
The exercise that started from the popular car wash bus stop in Lugbe, combing through Gosa, Bill Clinton drive, Trademore estate, Lugbe junction as well as the Kubwa and it’s environs.
Speaking with journalists after the operation, Director of the FCT Directorate of Road Traffic Services, Abdulateef Bello, encouraged residents to walk short distances for their safety and health.
“For safety and security reasons people should always make sure that they avoid plying motorcycles within the FCC because as the situation is, we might be arresting people that are equally plying motorcycles.”
On why the operation was extended to satellite towns including Kubwa, Bello said, “We have consistently maintained that commercial motorcycles are not allowed in the Federal Capital City, but of course apart from the city center, our highways are equally not encouraged for commercial motorcycles to ply because of safety and security reasons and that is why we have extended our operations beyond the FCC to other area councils that actually feed the city center.”
The Director advised those investing in commercial motorcycles business to have a rethink as the administration will invest heavy resources to curtail them.
He said the FCTA will deepen its operation to nights because, “the number of motorcycles operating the FCC is extremely outrageous. Impounding 200, 300, or 400 on a weekly bases will not address the need. What we are doing now is to intensify our operations with other security agencies to enable us move deeper into this operations by working in the night and removing them based on intelligence on where they about those motorcycles aside from just chasing them on the road.
Earlier, the Secretary Transportation Secretariat, Nya Ubokutom, warned commercial motorcyclists to strictly limit their operations to the areas designated for them.
He explained that the Administration’s desire to develop a smart city devoid of all sorts of pollution cannot be achieved if illegalities are allowed to pervade the Federal Capital City.
“We are here to carryout what has been adjudicated for and approved by the law. Our mandate is to deliver a smart city and we are poised to deliver on that mandate of making Abuja a smart city, clean in air quality and safe for habitation and transportation and also make it affordable, but we cannot allow residents take laws into their hands.
“There are areas designated for different kinds of vehicles. Motorcycles are designated to the outskirts in the area councils, so we encourage operators to respect that because if you cross that line the full wrath of the law will be visited on violated,” he stated.
A total of 478 motorcycles were crushed on Thursday, following a two weeks raid in areas across the FCT.